


Switched

by Arel_Rhink



Category: Rhett & Link, rhink - Fandom
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-08
Packaged: 2018-09-23 03:31:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 21
Words: 41,030
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9639026
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arel_Rhink/pseuds/Arel_Rhink
Summary: Link finds himself in an alternate universe where his and Rhett's show is more "adult-oriented"





	1. Chapter 1

"Just think about it, Link! Every decision you've ever made, every idea you've ever had... each one creates its own branch to another reality - another universe!" Link's head spun at his friend's idea. He tried his best to stay on task, doing research for a future GMM episode. "Every decision the two of us made has led us to where and who we are now in this very moment!" A heavy hand thumped against Link's shoulder, breaking the man's concentration.

"Yeah, and in this universe my arm hurts. Thanks," Link whined, causing Rhett to chuckle softly. Link closed his laptop, stood up, and then straightened the wrinkles in his shirt. "I'm gonna get something to eat. Want anything from McDonalds or something?"

"Sure. Surprise me," Rhett replied, getting back to his own research on the Multiverse Theory. That was how things were whenever they did research-related episodes. Sure, they were always relaxing for the two of them - especially to Link, but they tended to resonate in Rhett's mind for weeks. He'd talk about these topics seemingly non-stop until they worked on another one. Of course, since the idea of there being alternate universes had tickled Rhett's fancy for many years, he'd be even more inclined to loudly ruminate the possibilities. Although Rhett's fanatics sometimes left Link with lingering headaches, he had to admit that the idea of multiple universes was kind of cool.

_There could be a universe where I still have my last dog... where I might still be living in Buies Creek..._

Link's train of thoughts kept accelerating with more and more ideas. As they kept coming, he thought more and more about how he and Rhett could be in other universes. They could be enemies, or even strangers. As Rhett had said, every decision they made and acted upon led them to where they currently were. So what if other decisions were made? What if they never met that day in first grade? What if they never got into their crazy accidents when they were young and reckless? What if Link actually confessed to Rhett how he truly felt about him?

Now that was an idea. An alternate reality where the two of them somehow ended up in a romantic relationship instead of just a platonic one. How he wished he knew what could've caused that universe to form.

Suddenly, Link's foot skidded against something on the sidewalk with a loud 'ching'. He stopped in his tracks and noticed a large coin of some kind. He picked it up and looked it over. Its smooth bronze edges shined under the sunlight, and its engraved markings stayed in shadows. He rubbed his thumb on the strange infinity-looking shape. Or was it an 8? Link couldn't tell. He pocketed the coin, planning on showing it to Rhett when he got back with their food.

He returned to the studio with a bag from McDonalds, and the two of them dined while continuing their work for the afternoon. When their work day ended, they packed up and got ready to leave. The coin in Link's pocket was completely forgotten.

"See you Monday, buddy," Rhett chirped as he patted Link's shoulder. He left his hand there for a while, pulling away with a silent sigh.

"You too, man." Link smiled to his friend before getting out of the car. He didn't see Rhett's soft, slow blink behind him inside the vehicle. Though he may not have done it if Link was looking at him. He wanted to reach out once more, but he stopped himself when Link turned back around to flash him one more smile. "See ya," he called before shutting the car door.

Once he was safe and alone inside his house, Link was free to think about the day's events and gush about Rhett without judgment. He plopped down on his bed with a bowl of cereal, and jolted at the feeling of something jabbing him in his pocket. He completely emptied it, revealing the pencil he had put there earlier, as well as the coin he had found on the sidewalk. After discarding the pencil, he examined the coin once again.

"I never got to show Rhett this..." Link realized, rubbing the symbols on it again and again. Feeling a little aloof, he flipped the coin into the air with his thumb, and then caught it in his palm facing downward. The infinity symbol shined for a split second, and Link barely noticed. Assuming it was just a trick of the light beside him, he put the coin down on his nightstand and continued eating his snack.

After watching two episodes of Stranger Things on Netflix, he turned everything off and went to bed.

Link awoke early the next morning to a sunny room and a strange feeling of movement around him. He opened his eyes to see a bare chest - definitely male - that rose and fell softly under Link's head. Link recognized that golden-haired, freckled chest and jumped at the realization. The strong arms around him only squeezed him tighter, holding him closer to him. Link flailed around, moving the comforter enough to see the other man's hips. It was enough for him to realize that he was naked.

"You're wiggly this morning," rasped Rhett, who hugged Link even tighter and nuzzled his neck with more tenderness than Link could ever expect from a man of his stature.

"What're you -" Link squirmed against him, attempting to push away from Rhett's grasp, but while doing so he confirmed that not only was Rhett naked, but he was too. He yelped at the realization. "Why are we - Did something happen last night?! Did we...?"

Rhett chuckled softly. "Nope, not on work nights." The words 'work nights' threw Link off for a moment.

"I thought it was Saturday," Link inquired, pulling the blankets up to cover himself.

"Yeah, and today's the only day we could record an episode with our guest. Remember?"

Link's eyes darted around for answers. He was obviously in Rhett's bedroom... the two of them were sleeping together naked... and they had work on a supposed weekend.

This had to be a dream. It was the only conclusion that made sense to Link. He figured that if he was going to have a nice dream where the two of them were apparently a couple, why not enjoy it instead of question it.

"Umm... Oh, right," Link replied, pretending to understand the situation. "Should we get up then?"

"You didn't even get your 'good morning cuddles' yet!" Rhett squeaked, snatching the smaller man in his arms. Link yelped as Rhett's fingers danced all over Link's bare torso, tickling every nerve he could reach.

"Ahh!! Stop! That tickles!" Link giggled.

The tickling slowed to a stop, and Rhett hugged Link tight. With his beard brushing against Link's slight stubble, Rhett whispered, "Good morning, buddy."

Link smiled at the warmth radiating from Rhett's soft body, and hugged him in return, this time not really paying any mind to whatever his legs were touching. The feeling of being so intimate with his dear friend and secret love of his life filled him with comfort and pure happiness.

With a soft hum, Link whispered back, "Good morning to you too."

~*~

Rhett woke up to his phone buzzing beside his pillow. With groggy eyes, he checked his notifications. It was a message from Link.

"Morning, big boy," it read. Rhett snorted and typed back with an arched eyebrow.

"Someone's in a good mood this morning."

It took only a moment for Link to reply. "I'm excited for work today! Have you decided what we're gonna do the episode on?"

Rhett furrowed his brows. He glanced at the date on his phone to make sure that today was actually Saturday.

"We don't have work today. It's Saturday."

"I thought Juniper was gonna come do an episode with us today," Link's message read.

_Juniper? Did Link invite a guest onto the show and not tell me?_

"We're not having guests on the show for another month," Rhett replied. Nothing happened on the other end for a while, and Rhett was a bit worried for his friend. Something definitely was off with him this morning. He figured it might be a good idea to spend the day with him and make sure he was all right. Before Link could reply, Rhett texted him again. "Do you maybe want to come over?"

Link's answer still came a little later than anticipated. "Yes please!"

Rhett chuckled as he put his phone aside. After a well-needed stretch, he got off the bed. He figured Link would be over soon, so he might as well get ready.

The bell rang just as Rhett finished his shower. He hadn't expected for Link to arrive so soon. He quickly dried himself off and put his robe on since he didn't have his clothes picked out yet. With his hair still soaked, he made his way to the door.

"You know you can just come in, right?" Rhett asked with a chuckle. He opened the door to see Link leaning suggestively against the doorframe in what looked like his pajamas. A tight black tank top hugged his torso, showing off his defined shoulder muscles, and thin wispy shorts hung low on his lean hips. Rhett's eyes danced all over, not knowing what to focus on.

"I wanted to make an entrance," Link purred, making a trail of goosebumps race up Rhett's spine.

"You must've really wanted to come over if you didn't even change first," Rhett chuckled. "Are you all right?"

"Would you prefer I wear something else?" Link asked, flashing a lopsided grin at the taller man.

Rhett laughs again and moves aside, letting the man inside. "I'll find you something." Link strode inside with a swing of his hips, and then followed Rhett to his bedroom.

Rhett dug through his closet and dresser, picking out clothes for both himself and Link. He turned to hand Link his pile, but was startled to find him already disrobing. His blue eyes remained focused on Rhett's as he quickly tossed off his tank top. His hands then went straight to his shorts, fingers playing with the waistband with the lightest, most tantalizing touch. Worried about the sudden tightness in his own briefs, Rhett rushed to grab Link's arms, pulling them away from their work.

"Geez, man, what's gotten into you?" Rhett asked with a laugh, knowing Link was just goofing around. Link's smile faded slightly, but perked back up at the taller man with a small giggle of his own.

"Oh you know you love it," Link snickered, as he turned around and shook his little bottom. Rhett chuckled and held his clothes pile tight to his body as he stepped toward the bathroom in the hall. "I'll get ready in the other room," Rhett announced, blushing like mad. "I need to... do my hair and stuff anyway. Okay?"

Link stopped dancing and turned back to Rhett with furrowed brows. "Um, okay."

Link watched as Rhett waddled his way into the hallway bathroom. With an arched eyebrow, he grabbed the shirt Rhett gave him and slowly put it on.

Rhett, however, was too baffled to get ready when he locked the door behind him. He plopped down onto the toilet cover and replayed that morning's events. He even thought as far back as yesterday, wondering if anything from then triggered how he was acting today. He was usually pretty strange, but today he was especially peculiar.

There was something wrong with him, and Rhett was determined to find out what.


	2. Chapter 2

"So why are we here on a Saturday again?" Link asked, following Rhett into the studio.

"This was the only time the guest could come over. She came in from New York City, man! All the way here just to film with us! Do you not realize how amazing that is?! What this means for us?! Our show?!"

"It sounds like it means a lot to her too, if she's choosing to do all this," Link added. Rhett opened the front door, stepping aside for Link to go through first. Link nodded his thanks as he wandered inside. Just as they both entered, a young woman, seemingly fresh out of college, rushed over to greet the two men.

"It's a pleasure to meet you. I'm Link," chirped Link, taking the young lady's hand in his own. She furrowed her thick brows as she gave him a quick once-over.

"Uhh... hey, guys," she stammered, looking to Rhett as if asking for help. "Juniper's already here. She's waiting for you two in your office. Hope that's okay."

"Great! Thanks, Sam. You can go ahead and get the set ready," Rhett chimed.

"You got it, boss," Sam replied, and scurried away. Link stared at her tracks in confusion.

"Wait a second. Who was that?!" he asked, following Rhett upstairs.

"Did you hit your head or something? Sam's been our lighting tech for years." Rhett glanced back with furrowed brows as he continued leading them to heir office.

"I... I must've... yeah," Link mumbled, still trying to remind himself that all this was just a dream, and that if he wanted to enjoy it he shouldn't ask too many questions. But he just had so many, he wondered how long he could keep up the charade.

They soon arrived at their office. The door was propped open, and inside on their couch waited a woman with long, burgundy hair curling and waving down to her chest. Her soft, plump, hourglass figure curved elegantly against the leather seat, down to the carpet, where her feet were crossed at the ankles. Link figured she must be a model of some sort, as she carried herself with an air of power and charm.

She turned her head and greeted the two men with a smile. "Hi, guys!" she chirped. Her full, alto voice stunned Link into goosebumps. She rose from the couch to shake both of their hands. "Juniper Branch. Nice to finally meet you!"

"Juniper Branch?! Is that really your last name?" Link asked with a grin.

"A lot of people ask me that, and yes it is," she replied with the smile never fading from her face.

"That's awesome! I love it," Link squealed. His moment was interrupted when Rhett's hand grabbed his shoulder and patted it.

"I gotta help set up for the episode, but Link can give you a quick tour and fill you in on what we're planning for the episode. Sound good?" Rhett asked, locking his eyes on Juniper in a way that concerned Link... and the way he was clutching Link's arm wasn't helping.

What's gotten into him?

"Sounds great!" Juniper enthused,clapping her hands excitedly.

"See you both in an hour," Rhett squeaked, suddenly more chipper than he was a moment ago. Link made a mental note to talk about Rhett's behavior with him later.

"Uhh... cool!" Link commented, scratching his neck as he watched Rhett disappear in the hallway. He turned back around to see Juniper smiling patiently.

"Actually, Link, if you don't mind I'd like to stay here and kinda just chat if that's okay."

"Chat? Uh, sure. No harm in that. I guess you have some questions about the episode?" Link asked, following her back to the couch. "Sadly, Rhett didn't tell me what we're doing, so I can't help in that regard." He chuckled to himself as he sat down beside his guest.

"Actually, I wanted to ask about you and Rhett," she said softly. Link's heart jumped at what she may have been implying. "I mean, I've been a fan of your show for a couple months now, but I wanna get to know you more before recording. It... kinda makes me feel better to know who I'm doing business with before getting right down to it, if you catch my drift."

"Oh, yeah, of course. I'd like to know more about you myself as well," Link enthused with a chuckle. He tried his best to ask what he wanted to ask without seeming rude or ignorant. She was their guest, so he was supposed to have known what she did for a living. "Like work, for example," he said, keeping a smile on his face. "Tell me about it."

Juniper giggled. "Well, of course you know the basics when working in adult entertainment... especially when there's a camera and crew involved."

"Haha, yeah."

_ Wait... adult entertainment? _

"You know..." she continued, "backstage prep, hair and makeup... and then you're on the set and follow a lame script as best as you can before the action happens. It's pretty much the same for anyone in this industry. And it's a tough industry. If you don't look the part you're not hired."

_ That sounds like... _

"And it's different for every gig. Even if you belong to a studio it all depends on what kind of special interests they want to focus on. Not every guy likes big breasts and long hair, you know what I'm saying?"

_ She's a porn star. _

Link found himself speechless. Why they had a porn star on their show was a sure fire mystery. This dream was definitely hitting the 'weird' territory. Normally in his dreams, their content was family friendly for the most part. What in the world could be family friendly with a guest in adult entertainment on the show? How would they reference her content?

Link realized she had been waiting and answered with a jolt. "Oh, yeah, definitely. Of course. I've... uh... always been more of an ass man myself." He blushed as his words escaped his lips, and Juniper thankfully laughed at his response.

"Oh yes, that's clear," she chimed. "I've noticed that whenever you top you seem to have that preference."

"What?!" Link's eyes grew wide like saucers,and he was sure his face was entirely flushed. He wondered if she at one point had dated him, but then remembered that this was just a dream and he was being ridiculous. He decided to just play it cool and not question anything else from then on. "Um, I mean, that's pretty observant of you."

Juniper giggled again, and then straightened out the folds in her dark grey skirt. "Which brings me to my first question..." she added, lowering her voice a tad. "In previous episodes one of you mentioned that you two still... help each other out off screen sometimes. Have you two ever done anything you haven't tried on the show yet?"

"I... uh..."

Both of their faces suddenly turned bright red. Juniper jumped right in to stop herself. "I'm sorry. You don't need to answer that. I... guess the main thing I wanna ask is... well... Are you two... like, together?" She paused to cleared her throat. "Like a couple?"

Were they? Link knew for sure they weren't in real life, but he was still convinced that this was all a strange, elaborate dream. He woke up in Rhett's arms earlier... but did that mean their relationship was romantic? Link decided to make a mental note to himself to figure that out later. But in that moment he had no certified answer.

"It's... kinda complicated," he finally replied. "I'll leave it at that."

"Ohh, okay. I get it," she said with a smile. "I won't delve any further then." The two filled the air with weak giggles, but the silence soon took over.

Keeping his thoughts about Rhett aside for now, Link went back to taking in what was happening and who he was talking to. This was a porn star in front of him. If it was a dream or not, what other time would he ever have the chance to ask one questions?

"Can you, uh, tell me more about your job?" he asked, biting his lip at the awkwardness filling the room. "Like, what would you consider to be a rough part of... the job?"

Juniper swayed a bit in her seat, biting her lip. "I guess the roughest thing about it... is how people tend to treat me."

"What do you mean? Like, on-set?"

"On-set, off-set, everywhere." She paused and sighed heavily, eyes no longer meeting Link's. "It's hard for someone having a reputation like I do to make new relationships. Friends... boyfriends... It's like the people who see my videos only see me as the characters I portray... and expect me to just sleep with them because they asked."

"Sounds like the business can sometimes have dehumanizing effects, huh..." Link added, frowning at Juniper's apparent inner peril. "Is that why you wanted to come onto the show with us?"

She looked back up with a hopeful glimmer in her eye. "Kind of, yeah. Like, you guys turn the industry around to make it more educational and such... and seem to have so much fun learning new things together. Being your guest... I'm hoping it would give me a new type of audience. Who knows? If it works out well enough I could do my own show one day!"

"I hope it all works out then," Link enthused with a smile. He then peeked at the wall clock, realizing they still had plenty of time before filming. A sudden idea came to mind that might help make their guest feel more comfortable. "Hey," he began, "there's this awesome little café down the street from here if you wanna grab a snack with me before shooting." She sat pensively, pursing her lips in thought. "They make those giant cookies!" He added to hook her in. Thankfully, it worked, as a smile crept onto her face.

They came back to the studio with plastic cups of coffee and about half of their giant cookies, which they had nibbled on the whole way back. Their cheerful chatter was interrupted by a tall looming shadow greeting them at the studio door.

"Looks like you two had fun," Rhett muttered. He glared with a tinge of anger at the two of them.

"I got you one too, Rhett," Link squeaked, handing an unopened cookie bag to his taller friend. "I, uh, would've shared mine with you but I know you don't like eating something after I bit into it." Rhett stared at the bag before gently accepting it. His expression softened into a tiny grin as he saw the giant chocolate cookie inside.

"Oh... thanks, man," he replied. His words came out slowly, yet still somewhat slurred together. "Anyway, we're about to start in a couple minutes. I thought with the three of us it would be a good idea to explore different m/f/m positions. What do you -"

"The heck does that mean?!" Link asked, throwing his arms out in exasperation. Rhett, taken aback, stared incredulously at his friend. Before he could even explain, Link spoke up again. "And what happened to our show, man?! Whatever happened to 'family friendly'?!"

"What are you talking about?" Rhett asked. "The Beasts want more than what we've been giving them. We have to cross some borders, man, or else our content will grow stale. If you wanna do something different than what we had planned, that's fine and all, but it's gotta have stuff that are accessible here. We don't have time to send Allan and Beck shopping today."

Link decided not to question the names of the crew members, and instead looked to Juniper beside him, and then back to Rhett. "Then let's go find something!" He quickly took both Rhett's and Juniper's hands and hurried down to the prop closet.

Link quickly grew startled at the excessive amounts of things he'd only expect to find in an adult store, and there were a bunch that he had no idea what they were or how to use them. After being assured by Rhett that everything was clean, they all rampantly searched. They went through piles and piles of things. Many ideas were shot down when Rhett said they'd used those props before. They scoured the shelves and searched through every box until Juniper squeaked out a loud giggle.

"What is it?" Link asked, smiling from her contagious laughter. She turned around with an unopened container of what looked like a rainbow of rubber rings.

"How long have we had those?!" Rhett asked. He rushed over to see with the biggest grin his face could carry. "Dude, we have flavored condoms! We gotta try these, man!"

Butterflies fluttered inside Link's stomach as explicit visuals filled his mind. "On... what?" he asked, blushing furiously at the thoughts that kept flooding his head. Rhett let out a hearty laugh as he ran over to hug his dear friend.

"Wanna use your favorite toy?" Rhett asked, wiping the tears from his eyes.

"I have a...?!"

"Just kidding," Rhett squeaked. "Everyone knows I'm your favorite toy." Juniper giggled by the shelves, trying her best to not erupt with squeals at the deepening color of Link's face. Rhett led the others out of the prop closet with a heavy pat on Link's shoulder. "You seem a little touchy about the toys today, so we'll just use those old bananas from upstairs. They're gonna go bad soon anyway."

"Sounds good to me!" Juniper cheered, passing Link out of the closet. The brunet stayed behind, frozen in place. His eyes perused the inside of the closet, silently questioning everything that was in there. There were stuff in there he'd never really seen - especially in person. He began to wonder if this was really a dream at all... Maybe -

"Link! Come on!" shouted Rhett. "We're gonna start without you!" Link woke from his brief stupor and ran down to the set, where Juniper sat on the silk couch in the back... and Rhett sat on his side of a desk that was much larger than the desk he had become used to in the many years he and Rhett had worked together. In fact, the entire set looked different. It was a lot classier than what he was used to, with soft turquoise walls decorated with different paraphernalia from adult shops, as well as photos of the two of them from their past. At a quick glance, he recognized a lot of them. A few, however, seemed foreign to Link. In those, they looked like they were around their early twenties, like fresh out of college, but he didn't remember being in those places or posing for those photos.

Rhett called him over again, moving Link's chair out for him to sit in. Immediately, the stranger behind the camera counted down from three to one.

"Today we taste the rainbow... of protection!" Rhett announced, smiling to the camera with eager eyes. He and Rhett leaned out of the way to reveal their guest to the camera.

"Let's talk about that!" squeaked Juniper. They all then took a moment to squeeze her in between the two of them at the desk. Before they continued, she looked over to Link and mouthed with a smile, "Thank you."

~*~

"Goodness, man, you're quite energetic for not having your morning coffee," Rhett commented with a chuckle as he flipped another pancake on the skillet. Link continued dancing around him, humming some made-up song.

"Who needs coffee when I could have something else to get my motor running for the day?" he asked, leaning gently against Rhett's back. However, his face fell in an instant as he thought back to that morning. "And what's up with you today anyway?"

Rhett stopped playing with the pancakes for a moment. "What do you mean? You're the one being weird, man."

"Me?!" Link yelled. "You haven't been giving me any attention today! What did I do to make you not even want to at least touch me?! I had to wake up in my own bed and deal with... whatever kind of weird distant mood you're going through!"

"I'm not being distant!" Rhett stopped himself from pressuring Link further and sighed. "What do you want me to do, man? What can I do to make it up to you?"

Link sighed too, and then flashed a weak smile. "Well..." he mumbled.

"What is it, buddy?" Rhett softly squeaked, cupping Link's shoulder with one gentle hand. "Come on, you can tell me." He shook Link back and forth, earning a playful chuckle from the smaller man.

"Well, out of all the things I want from you... I could really use some morning cuddles."

"Cuddles?"

"I didn't get any this morning..." Link gave Rhett a pout as the taller man wrapped his long arms around his shoulders.

"It's okay, buddy. You can have cuddles if you really want some." Without even a moment of hesitation, Link snatched Rhett's hand and led him to his bedroom.

The moment they entered the room, Link whipped his shirt off in a single fluid motion. He started to undo the pants Rhett gave him earlier, but Rhett held his arm away. Link looked up at Rhett almost as though he was insulted by Rhett's actions.

"Why do you want me to keep my pants on so bad?" Link grumbled. To keep him from getting more agitated with him, Rhett jumped in to keep everything cool.

"It's just cuddles, man. You don't even need to take your shirt off, really." Link stared quizzically at Rhett for a moment before a slight smile grazed his face.

"Okay," he replied. He gently bounced onto the mattress before lying down. Rhett smiled at the way the man's legs curled towards his chest. He jolted back to reality when he realized Link was staring up at him expectantly. "You coming or what?"

"Oh, uh, yeah..." Rhett practically tiptoed to the bed, and with great caution, he situated himself on the mattress.

"You're too far away," Link giggled, worming a bit closer to his friend. Rhett chuckled back, not realizing the color deepening in his perky cheeks. He struggled to wiggle closer, as though his legs had weights tied to them. Eventually, they met together, and Link curled up against the other's chest. Rhett's nerves zinged at the contact, and froze in place. Link nuzzled against his collarbone, quickly filling Rhett's body with a gentle warmth. Rhett let out an involuntary hum as a smile slowly spread across his lips.

"Link?" he whispered. His hands remained unmoved. Link only hummed against Rhett's chest in return. The vibrations tickled his skin, and he wiggled with a chirp. One of Link's arms squirmed over Rhett's side, and then gave him a good squeeze. Not knowing what else to do, Rhett hesitantly moved one arm underneath Link's head. His other hand barely touched Link's waist before it finally laid flat against his warm, bare skin. His hand then glided across Link's back until it stopped at his shoulder blade. It was then Rhett realized he was smiling, and he didn't let it fall. As his body filled with his friend's enticing warmth, he pulled Link closer and laid his head atop Link's.


	3. Chapter 3

Rhett reached a full plate of steaming hot stir fry over to Link's side of the kitchen table. Link gawked over the dish in awe, not expecting such a delectable-looking meal from his friend, whom he had believed for years didn't know how to cook that well. He tried to remind himself that he was just dreaming, but after today he had a hard time really believing that anymore. Smelling the broccoli and salty umami flavors in the soy sauce made it feel even more real. Link looked up to see Rhett smiling in anticipation, waiting for Link to take his first bite.

"It's good!" Link said, his mouth still full of food. "Tastes a lot better than those, uh, condoms." Rhett snorted at the memory of the episode they filmed earlier.

"I've never heard you gag like that before! That was hilarious!" Rhett commented with a chuckle. Link shot a confused eyebrow at him.

"I gag like that on the show at least once a week, man. I don't know why you're so surprised."

"Well what show have you been on then, 'cause this is news to me!" Link didn't answer. Instead, his mind wandered to all the weirdness that the day had brought. Nothing was aligning in his head... Nothing was making sense. Rhett cleared his throat and spoke again. "You, uh, have been a little off today I've noticed. I don't know if you're seriously having trouble remembering things today or if you're just messing around. Are you okay?"

Link sighed. "I don't know... I guess I just feel... a little out of place, for lack of a better word."

Rhett slid his hand on the table, and rubbed little circles on the wood with a finger. "Well, we don't have work tomorrow... You wanna stay the night? I bet a good blow would make you feel better. What do you say?"

Link blushed furiously at Rhett's proposition. Now it had to be a dream, right? Regardless, the way his friend was looking at him made Link not help but want to say yes. Once those piercing eyes struck his own gaze, he knew resisting his fantasy was futile.

"Umm... o-okay," he squeaked. His hand shook as he tried to lift another forkful of beef to his mouth. To distract himself, he decided to change the subject. There was something about Rhett's strange behavior earlier in the day that struck Link. "Actually... uh... since we're talking about weird behaviors, what was with you at the studio?"

Rhett took a moment to stop shoveling his stir fry in his mouth so he could speak. "What do you mean?" he asked.

"The way you were acting towards June. You had -"

"Is that what you're calling her now?! Is she calling you nicknames too?!" Rhett gritted his teeth, obviously trying to hold something back.

"No! Of course not, Rhett! What's gotten into you? Are you - oh gosh, you're jealous!"

"I'm not jealous, Link, I just -"

"You totally are!" Rhett rolled his eyes at the accusation, and then went back to gorging his dinner. "Rhett!" Link called again, walking around the table to stand beside his dear friend. "Dude, no one's gonna take your place. We've been best friends since first grade! Do you really think Juniper stands a chance?!" He shook Rhett's shoulders to emphasize his point. Rhett smirked as he nearly choked on his own food. "I took her to that café to make her feel more comfortable, man. She was nervous about shooting with us."

"That's _all_ that was?" Rhett asked, looking up at Link with bright, hopeful eyes.

"That's all it was," Link assured, patting Rhett's shoulder from behind him. "You know I'd never lie to you." Rhett grinned like a child and nodded, his mouth still full of food.

The moment Link finished his meal - long after Rhett finished his -Rhett rushed to clean everything up. Link offered to be of some help, but Rhett told him he got it covered. Without further argument, Link did as he was told and relaxed on the living room couch. Soon enough, Rhett entered the room with a giddy sway in his hips. Link almost asked him why he was so happy all of a sudden, but then Rhett crouched by his feet and his question was answered. His face took an immediate change of hue as Rhett looked up at him with those hungry eyes. Link fidgeted, trying to keep his legs from crossing.

Rhett snickered suddenly, and his hands glided up Link's thighs with practiced grace. "Remember the first time we did this?" Rhett asked. His voice was soft, yet gravelly. "When you came back to the dorm all stressed and knocking stuff over?"

Link couldn't respond, as Rhett's hands kneading his lap and thighs impeded his ability to speak. Instead, Link inhaled sharply at the contact as he attempted not to squirm.

"I tried everything to calm you down. Even my massages didn't help," Rhett continued. His hands squeezed the sides of Link's legs before moving toward the tightness growing in the middle. "I still can't believe you thought I was joking when I offered this," he laughed. "Look at us now! We're an influence on today's society with our very own sex-ed internet show! Seems like only yesterday our old bosses caught us jerking on each other in the back room." Just as his hands went to unzip Link's jeans, Link pulled his hand away with a labored breath. Rhett looked up at him with a stunned gaze, keeping his hands frozen in the air. Link strained to keep his eyes open and locked on Rhett's confused expression.

"I can't do this, Rhett..." he forced out. "I'm sorry."

"Is... Is there something wrong?" Rhett practically whispered. He got up to sit beside Link on the couch. He wrapped an arm around Link's shoulders, and then pulled him closer for comfort. Link's hands covered his face.

"Everything! Everything's wrong..." Link mumbled through his hands. "I can't handle all this!"

"What do you mean, buddy?" Rhett purred, petting Link's arm to soothe his poor friend.

"Just..." Link sighed, "nothing is making sense. I... don't remember what you want me to remember... not fully, anyway. Like, yes, I remember that day in college when I was so stressed out and frustrated... and you tried everything to calm me down, but..." Rhett pulled Link closer to him for more comfort. "You left me alone. You didn't... I mean, we didn't..."

"But -"

"And all this?! What even are we here, Rhett?! Are we friends... lovers?! It feels like I don't belong here... that none of this is mine. These memories you have... our jobs... Heck, even your home is different than what I'm used to!"

"Link..." Rhett whispered, holding Link even closer until his head rested against his chest.

"I'm... not your Link... I'm sorry," Link mumbled against Rhett's shirt as he cried against him. Rhett gently patted Link's back, and rubbed it once more.

"I figured," Rhett whispered. "My Link would probably have dragged me into my bedroom by now," he laughed. Link looked up at him almost offended. "I mean, I guess you're kinda still the Link I've always known... but you're different. You've obviously spent the last decade or so doing something less... 'adult-oriented' for a living... and judging by what you said earlier I'm gonna guess that you're a food critic." Link snorted into a chuckle. "A very picky food critic," Rhett added with a giggle.

"Not exactly, no," Link responded, still smiling from his mini giggle fit. "We still do Internet stuff, but it's more like a daily talk show... with an occasional gross food tasting episode."

"Sounds a lot more relaxing than what my Link and I do. We're always so stressed out from filming. That's why we, uh, help each other out on weekends. Get it out of our system. We were never... well... If that's what you were thinking."

"I don't even know what I'm thinking," Link sighed. He gave Rhett a quick once-over, glancing at him with the most quizzical look. "Why are you so quick to accept that this is what's going on? I'm still trying to convince myself that I'm dreaming!" Rhett reached over and pinched Link's arm, earning a squeal from the shorter man.

"That's how you know you're not dreaming," Rhett said with a smirk. "I know I'm real... and you are too." He held Link by the shoulders, forcing Link to look him straight in the eye. "Say it."

"I-I'm real and... you are too?"

"Are you asking me or telling me?"

"Uh... telling."

"Good," Rhett said with a nod. "Now, it sounds to me like there's some sort of Link-swap going on."

"Link swap?"

"Basically, something happened on either or both timelines that triggered you taking my Link's place."

"Oh no, you're obsessed with the multiverse theory too!" Link groaned. "That's not possible, man!"

"But it's true! Think about everything that's happened to you today! Do you really still think this isn't real?! Link and I have built our lives up to this for years, man! Don't throw it all to shame because it's not the life you've been living! And you know what, I bet my Link's taken your place in your timeline as we speak!"

"My... timeline?"

~*~

Rhett awoke to a light touch tickling down his side. He squeaked and curled at the sensation, earning a sinister grin from his bedmate, who tickled him more purposely.

"Stop! Ahh! You're ticklin' me, man!" Rhett squealed.

"That's the point!" Link snickered back, showing no mercy with his tickles.

"Okay! Uncle! Uncle!" Rhett giggled, curled up in the tightest ball he could manage. Link stopped, and then sat up right beside him. He laid his hands flat on Rhett's side as he began to massage him. "What're you doing, buddyroll?"

"Relax," Link purred. "I wanna give you a little something." Rhett immediately glared at his friend.

"You're not gonna tickle me are ya? If you do I'm gonna get you back!! Just like our song!" Link's smile quickly faded, as he suddenly went into deep thought.

"Our... song?" Link asked, scratching his neck.

"Yeah, you know. The one we used for the t-shirt war video?"

Link's brows furrowed, and his eyes slowly darted left to right as if reading an invisible book. "We never... did a t-shirt war video..." he concluded.

"I know it's been a couple years, but yeah, we did." Rhett sat up and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He typed into YouTube's search bar and handed the phone to Link once he started up the video.

"Whoa," Link commented as he watched. "This is really cool!"

"I know! We did such a good job on it. Definitely worth all the hard work it took to do it."

"I don't remember doing this though," Link added. His brows furrowed once more, listening carefully to the background music. "And you said there was a song in this."

"Well, the instrumental version is," Rhett chuckled. He began humming the tune of the lyrics to the background music. Once he realized Link wasn't recalling the lyrics, he decided to sing them instead. "I'm gonna get you back... I'm... I'm gonna get you back..." Link smiled wide, and Rhett smiled back. "Remember now?"

"N-no, but... I really like it though." Rhett tilted his head in confusion, but his eyes stayed glued to Link as he continued watching the video like he never saw it before.

"How 'bout you sing with me?" Rhett asked, thinking that he'd remember better if he actually participated. He repeated the lyrics as the song kept playing.

Link laughed, interrupting Rhett's singing. "Dude, I haven't sang since, like, high school. Back when we did more... creative stuff I guess."

Rhett put a hand on Link's shoulder. "We still do creative stuff, man! Our whole career revolves around it!"

Link remained silent. His eyes searched for invisible answers before him. Rhett grew more worried for his dear friend, and reached to cup his shoulder. Before he could even graze the fabric of Link's shirt with the tips of his fingers, Link jumped to his feet.

"I need a moment," he said as he rushed out of the room, leaving Rhett alone and dumbfounded on the bed.


	4. Chapter 4

Rhett laid out a blanket over Link on the living room sofa. It lightly floated down, tickling Link's skin with its soft cotton fibers.

"Are you sure you wanna sleep out here?" Rhett asked, sitting down on the arm of the couch. "I mean, my bed's big enough for both of us."

"Nah, it's okay. I just don't wanna be at home by myself. It's comforting enough to know that you're just a room away," Link replied, snuggling up under the blanket. "Besides, it's... it's kinda weird for us to share a bed at this point... knowing what had... uh, transpired there in the past."

Rhett chuckled with the tiniest blush, understanding what he meant. "Well, we wash the sheets and all... but yeah, I get it."

A sudden silence filled the air, but Link could tell that Rhett wasn't ready to leave just yet. He stayed silent, head bowed with his hands folding together between his knees.

"Are you okay, Rhett?" Link asked, gently sitting up. His worried eyes remained on the blond.

Rhett puffed a heavy sigh. "I... It's just... weird to think about this whole situation." Link scooted over to sit beside him. "Makes me... worried I guess." The moisture in his eyes glistened under the glow of the moon through the windows. Link couldn't help but feel the same. How long would he have to stay in this timeline? Would he ever see his Rhett again? What would he do if he couldn't go back?

Link leaned against Rhett's side and nuzzled into his shirt. "I miss my Rhett too." Without hesitation, Rhett wrapped an arm around Link and gripped him by the shoulder, pulling him closer.

"Do you think they miss us too?" Rhett strained.

"I'm sure they do."

They spent the next few minutes comforting each other in silence, gazing beyond the thin curtains to the darkness behind them. Only the moon could see them. She offered sympathy through the reflected rays of the sun, hoping to give them just a little bit of light. Lucky for them there was not a single cloud in the sky. Maybe... just maybe there was a way to go back. If they were able to switch timelines once, they could surely do it again.

"Let's get you to bed," Link whispered. He clambered off the sofa and took Rhett by the hand. He walked him back to his bedroom with greatest care and pulled the covers back for him to easily climb into.

"Thanks, Link," Rhett mumbled as he climbed in bed. Link threw the covers on top of the giant of a man and gently tucked him in, earning a heartwarming grin in return. Link's nerves jolted at the sight.

"What are you smiling at me for?" he asked with a giggle. Rhett's smile only grew brighter.

"Sorry, I just..." Rhett paused to chuckle. "I know you're not my Link, but I still..." Rhett paused at a loss for words. After what seemed like an internal battle with himself, he sighed. "Never mind." He turned away from Link, pulling the covers with him.

Link looked him over for a moment, and then sat beside him on the mattress. "It's okay, Rhett," he purred, softly petting Rhett's upper arm. "You can talk to me, man."

"No, it's nothing," Rhett muttered louder. "Forget I said anything." He curled even further away from the other man, who watched him worriedly. Without a word, Link slipped under the covers and wrapped an arm around Rhett from behind. He pulled him closer in a tight hug.

"'Night," he whispered. He loosened his grip on the larger man, and then turned over so their backs were flush against each other.

"I thought you were gonna sleep on the couch," Rhett squeaked, peeking over his shoulder to the body beside him.

"I changed my mind," Link hummed, nuzzling into the pillow beneath his head. Rhett couldn't help but smile.

~*~

"Can I come in?" Rhett called as he knocked on his own bedroom door. Hearing no response from inside, he grew worried about the man who had basically locked himself in there. As quietly as possible, Rhett cracked the door open and peeked inside.

"Link?" he called, slowly entering the bizarrely empty room. He checked under the bed, yet there was still no sign of his friend. He stood silent in the center of the bedroom, listening intently for anything that could give away Link's position. Soon enough, he heard faint voices coming from his closet. Rhett sighed as he moved toward the source of the sounds, and then pressed his ear against the door once he got there. The voices were definitely inside. He knocked cautiously on the door, and then heard some shuffling within. He creaked the door open to see Link sitting cross-legged on the floor of his closet. He was still holding Rhett's phone, and was apparently watching a video on it. He didn't bother to pause it either, as it became more obvious to Rhett that he was watching an episode of their own show. The wide, teary-eyed look on Link's face gave Rhett deep concern.

"What's going on, buddy? You okay?" Rhett asked in his soft, high-pitched voice. He offered a hand to his friend, and then pulled him to his feet. Link didn't hesitate, and marched right over to Rhett's bed. He plopped on top of the covers, making the bed rock and the pillows on it dance. Rhett moved to join him on the mattress. "Whatcha watchin'?"

"You tell me!" Link barked, handing the phone to Rhett.

"What do you mean?" Rhett asked, gently taking his phone back.

"Who is that in all these videos, and why does he look like me?!" Link threw himself against the bed, toppling over like a felled tree.

"That  _ is _ you, Link!" Rhett chuckled, pointing at the spectacled man on the screen.

"No, it's not!" Link whined. "That's not me! None of the things I saw in these videos are things that I have done! I've never strapped cheese on my feet! I've never cooked a pizza cake! And I've never eaten a pie made of ants!! Those are the kinds of things someone doesn't just forget, Rhett!" Rhett stared wide-eyed and speechless. "So what, did you just find a doppelgänger or did you somehow find a way to clone me?!"

"Link, no! Listen to yourself, man!" Rhett chuckled. His smile quickly faded as he realized Link was being serious. "Have you maybe considered that it just might be your memory?"

Link immediately boiled up. "It's not my memory, Rhett! I swear you're trying to mess with me, and it's working! Everything's different - our show, my hair, your house! Heck, even you are different! It's like you became a different person overnight!" Rhett furrowed his brows at the ranting brunet. He reached for Link's shoulder, but the other spoke before he made contact. "How did I even wake up at home this morning anyway?"

Rhett then cupped Link's shoulder, surprising the smaller man while doing so. "You always wake up at home... Don't you?" Rhett asked softly. Link didn't answer. He hunched over with his shoulders heaving as he silently sobbed. Rhett's hand glided across Link's back, and then pulled him into a gentle embrace. Thankfully to Rhett, Link accepted it and curled into the taller man's torso.

"R-Rhett?" Link mumbled between whimpers.

"You can stay the night, buddy. Hopefully you'll feel better tomorrow." He pressed his lips against Link's hairline - not really kissing him, but just resting his face on him like a child would to their security blanket. In this scenario, however, Rhett was the blanket comforting Link. His hair felt soft and slick in contrast to Rhett's fluffy bush of a beard, and smelled like Biotera shampoo. His heart ached as Link grabbed Rhett's shirt, tightening their embrace.

"Will you stay?" Link squeaked against Rhett's chest. "Like, in here?"

"Okay," Rhett whispered, patting Link on the back. He tried to get up, but was quickly yanked back down for more hugs. Eventually, Link became tired enough to let him get up to fix the covers so that they could climb in. Once Link was wrapped in blankets, he reached out to grab Rhett's shirt. "I take it you want more cuddles? You're not typically this grabby."

"Yes please," squeaked Link, who tugged Rhett close as the taller man climbed in after him. Rhett stayed in a sitting position beside Link.

"Do you want me to do anything else for you first? More blankets, or a drink perhaps?" Rhett asked. Link looked Rhett over momentarily, and then smiled coyly.

"I... could use a...  suckle or two," he mumbled, shifting the covers down to his hips. The slight flirty tone kind of threw Rhett off for a moment, but then he figured what Link must have meant. He leapt off the bed and scurried out the room, coming back a minute later with a glass of water with a straw. Link stared as the cup was placed in his hand. The tiny plastic ladybug that was latched to the bendy part of the straw confused Link at first, yet he couldn't help but smile. He took a sip, thinking how it wasn't quite the kind of thirst he wanted to quench, but it settled for the time being. The gesture itself was enough to satisfy the tired, troubled brunet.

"Was it cold enough?" Rhett asked as he wiggled under the warm covers. Link placed the glass on the nightstand beside him and nodded. He didn't hesitate to curl up against Rhett's torso, meeting it with his back. The warmth that emanated from the larger man felt a little different, much like his entire day had been... but it was a nicer kind of heat than what he was used to.

"You know..." Link started, "even though you've been acting weird today..." Rhett leaned over Link to see the slight grin on his face. "you've also been... I dunno, a bit nicer. Like, you're taking more consideration for my feelings." Rhett furrowed his brows as he looked for any clue that Link must had been joking. Even though he didn't find any, he let Link continue. "I really appreciate it."

Rhett smiled at his dear friend. "No problem," he purred. He then lied back down and situated himself comfortably against Link's back.

"It's like you finally stopped thinking with your dick," Link mumbled against the pillow, inaudible to the man behind him.

"Huh?" Rhett grunted.

"Nothing... Don't worry about it."


	5. Chapter 5

"You're a lot more apt to cook than my Rhett is," chuckled Link as Rhett gently placed a plate of cheesy scrambled eggs, bacon, and buttered toast on Link's blanketed lap. Link had barely woken up and Rhett was already up and doing things for him. It was so sweet. Link wondered if he pampered his Link just as much.

"Well, after our first real gig we were able to move out of our dorm and live in an apartment. I did most of the cooking after, well, Link's first try at the stove." Rhett reminisced with a shudder.

"Good gosh, what happened?" Link asked, smiling as he chomped into a slice of toast.

"He burned some Mac and cheese so bad we had to buy a new pot... and stove. Nowadays if he makes food, it's almost always -"

"Cereal?" Link finished, giggling like a child. "Me too, man! Though I've never really tried to cook anything. Don't have the patience for reading recipes. I just wanna pour food in my bowl and eat it." He continued shoveling scrambled eggs into his mouth, and swallowed them before speaking again. "I did cook one thing though... but I had help from a neighbor."

"Why didn't you get help from other me?!" Rhett squeaked dramatically.

"Well... 'cause it was _for_  him. A birthday present." Rhett's heart clenched at Link's words, and his curiosity was burning bright.

"What was it?"

"I made a... a pizza cake. It was basically like ten layers of pizza formed into a big cake." Link smiled wide at the fond memory. "I had him eat it on the show... I'd never seen him so happy. His eyes were glowing like the sun at that thing! It... really warmed my heart to know that he was like this because of me - from something I made for him." He quickly blinked the moisture from his eyes and finished off his delicious breakfast-in-bed.

"That's really sweet, Link," cooed Rhett as he sat closer to Link's side. "I bet you two did a lot of sweet things for each other on your show."

"Yeah..." Link paused to chuckle. "He once named a star after me. Sure, I expected a miniature horse, but it's still something I tend to think about a lot."

"Wow, a star?! I should do that for my Link. If you like it, I'm sure he would too." Link nodded at the idea. "You and him do have quite a bit in common after all..."

"You could say that," Link laughed. The air quickly grew thick as silence overcame them. Link couldn't stop thinking about what his Rhett might be doing with this timeline's Link. He knew what he himself would be doing if he were back in his own timeline like none of this situation had occurred. He'd be relaxing at home, likely talking to Rhett about upcoming episodes. Then he remembered that he'd have to shoot another episode in this timeline. He wasn't even sure how to act on this show. It was so different than what he was used to, and surely he couldn't get away with being his usual finicky self.

"Hey, Rhett?" Link asked, his voice low and uncertain. Rhett raised his eyebrows, showing he got his attention. "What... _is_  the plan for the show tomorrow? Like... I don't even know how to act like your Link, and I'm sure whenever that last episode with Juniper comes out people are gonna notice."

Rhett smiled. "I can show you a few episodes if you want. That way, you'll get the idea." Link nodded, and Rhett darted over to his bag to fetch his laptop. Link moved his breakfast tray to the nightstand beside him as Rhett carried his equipment over and got it set up. Instead of opening up YouTube like Link expected, Rhett opened up a site he never heard of before. He figured it must be one of those sites that are geared towards more adult-oriented content. He'd never indulged in those kind of sites before so it made sense that this one seemed obscure.

"I'll show you a couple of my favorites," Rhett chirped as he scrolled through a seemingly endless list of videos - all with somewhat provocative thumbnail preview images. The scrolling stopped and Rhett clicked on one with a picture of what looked like Link's back with splashes of what kind of looked like blue and white paint.

The video started like they would normally in Link's timeline, with a one-line teaser. Link was immediately confused at the topic- hot wax.

"Wait, what kind of wax are we talking here?" Link asked with a chuckle. "We've done waxing in my timeline too."

"Ohhh no. This is different, trust me," Rhett corrected, nudging Link with his elbow. The episode continued after a brief theme song and intro sequence. The music took a sensual tone with a smooth saxophone number. Definitely not what Link expected. When the show continued, there were loads of multicolored candles covering the surface of the desk. The Rhett and Link in the screen explained quickly the idea of wax play and how the wax is meant to be used. Eventually, they got to try it out.

It started with a naked Rhett lying flat on his stomach on the floor. Link reminded the watchers once more of precautions, especially about the temperature of the wax. He then heated a yellow candle and carefully dripped its wax onto Rhett's back. The man hooted and hissed at the hot viscous speckles of liquid gently warming his skin. Link soon changed colors, now using a black candle, and dripped more to create his masterpiece as Rhett continued making noises, from sharp hisses to soft grunts. The camera changed to show Link grinning, clearly pleased in Rhett's behavior.

"You like the burn, baby?" the Link in the video teased, dropping his last couple marks on the man on the ground. Rhett hummed in response as he tried not to move. Soon, Link moved to reveal the masterpiece he made out of Rhett. "Look, Rhett, you're a bee!" Link squeaked with a giggle. Rhett saw himself in the mirror and grinned.

"More like a tiger bee!" He growled playfully at the camera, and the real Link felt his insides zing. He noticed Rhett in the corner of his eye watching him, searching for a reaction of some sort.

The camera in the video cut so that Link was the one bare and lying not on his stomach, but on his back on the floor. The Rhett in the video explained that now that they had the idea of how it's done on its own, they'd try it in action.

The real Rhett scooted closer to Link as they continued watching. Link pretended not to notice. It was probably nothing anyway.

The Rhett in the video paused to make a point that since Link had a lot of chest hair, he needed to apply baby oil first for Link's own safety. The Link on screen teased Rhett a bit about the baby oil, and the real Link chuckled.

Eventually, the oil was applied and the show progressed. The camera pulled back to show them both almost in missionary position. The sight for the real Link was a little much, but he felt compelled to keep watching. It was like a weird sense of dreaming, yet there he was watching it happen. It felt a little dissociative for him since he didn't actually experience what the Link on screen did, but it also made it a lot easier to imagine himself in that scenario. Doing so gave him a tightening sensation in his lower abdomen, and Link didn't know if he wanted it to happen or not.

Soon enough, his eyes were glued to the hardened member of the taller man on screen, glistening with lubricant and inching toward the other man's bottom. Link suddenly felt heat emanating from the side of his face.

"You seem much more interested than I expected," Rhett rasped in Link's ear, surprising the brunet into slamming the laptop shut. His face burned bright red as he made eye contact with the man beside him. After seeing what he just saw, his sense of reality felt muddled. The way Rhett was gazing at him didn't exactly help either.

"I... I can't watch this anymore," Link stuttered. His throat felt clogged with every conflicted emotion as though they wanted to come out in a burst of screams. He tried to hold them back with a gulp. Rhett's eyes watched his Adam's apple bounce. "It's, uh, too much for me to handle."

"Doesn't really look like it," Rhett practically whispered. His eyes flicked downward to Link's pants, and Link was quick to fold his legs up to cover what was obviously being stared at.

"Don't look at me like that," Link squeaked, turning slightly away from the other man.

"You know, if you're so curious you should try it," Rhett suggested with a coy smile. The motion threw Link completely off-guard, and he felt compelled to smack Rhett right across the face.

"Hey, stop it!" Link yelled, earning a hearty laugh from the taller of the two.

"You know I'm only messing with ya, man!" Rhett chuckled, playfully punching Link's shoulder. Link's frown faded, and he grew a little skeptical as the other man continued laughing. "Come on, let's watch a movie or something," Rhett said, clambering off the bed with his gangly limbs. Link watched every step he took as he left the room. For a moment, he thought about opening the laptop again and finishing that episode, but he thought it would be better for everybody if he just let it be.

For now, at least.

~*~

"Feeling any better today, Linkster?" Rhett asked, patting Link's fluffy bed head. Link grumbled and pulled the blanket over his head. "I'll take that as a no." He sat on the edge of the bed, looking at the lump under the covers. A smirk spread across his lips as an idea sprung to mind. He found where Link's waist was and snatched him there, tickling his sides. Link squealed and curled up, trying to protect himself from the tickles. Rhett kept on going until Link's head popped back out of the covers.

"Okay! I'm up! Happy now?!" Link squeaked, breathing heavily from the tiring activity. Rhett laughed boisterously at his victory, and patted Link on the shoulder.

"Want some cereal or something?" Rhett asked. Link sat up and stretched, nodding with a grin.

"Maybe have some fun later?" Link suggested. "It's... been a while, you know." Rhett paused, looking Link over in confusion. A smile eventually spread from cheek to cheek.

"Fun like what? Camping? Maybe next weekend if you're not doing anything. That would be fun!" Rhett enthused, grabbing his towel from behind the door. Link's lopsided smirk faded.

"Um, yeah. Sure," he replied half-heartedly.

"Were you thinking something else?" Rhett asked, mildly confused. After not getting an answer, he shrugged. "It's okay. We'll think of something we both wanna do."

"Um... yeah. Sounds good." Link watched as Rhett left the room. "I guess what I want to do isn't what you want to do..."

By the time Rhett came back, Link had gotten dressed and made the bed. He sat atop it, again watching an episode of GMM on Rhett's phone. Rhett chuckled at the sight.

"Still feeling like that's not you in those videos?" he asked as he sat beside him on the bed.

"Yeah," Link sighed, his eyes glued to the screen. He smiled at the improvised singing in the episode.

"Oh, you're watching this one," Rhett chortled, scooting closer for a better look. "I'm sure you'd remember this."

The Rhett on screen pulled up a sheet of plexiglass and placed it between his and Link's hands. The continued song made Link's heart clench. Then the Rhett on screen told Link to kiss him. He leaned forward hesitantly until their lips caught the glass between them. The real Link blushed at the sight, regardless of the raspberry sounds the Link in the video made. His stunned silence hit Rhett in a strange way. He started to think that there was something else to this mystery.

"You don't remember that, do you?" Rhett asked, answering his own question in his head. Link shook his head, still blushing. Rhett eyed Link up and down, giving him a quick, skeptical once-over. "I know I keep bringing your memory back into the question, but -"

"My memory is fine, Rhett!" Link repeated, annoyed.

"But I'm curious," Rhett continued, turning to fully face his friend. "What _do_  you remember about us, or the things we've done?"

Link paused, somewhat shocked that Rhett had to ask that question. It seemed to Link as well that Rhett was shocked with himself a bit.

"What do you want me to say, Rhett?" Link asked, a little flustered. "We've been best friends since first grade!"

"Okay, what else?" Rhett urged.

Link sighed sarcastically, not wanting to be interrogated like a criminal. "We went to college together, found our calling while working together, and have been making videos since!"

"Okay," Rhett repeated, as if checking things off a mental list. "Then what is the last thing you remember... before things started feeling weird to you?"

"Seriously?" Link muttered, wanting to just be done with this whole thing. "Why are we talking about this when we could be having some fun instead?"

"Link, come on. Just answer this one question and we'll do something else."

Link huffed out a deep sigh. "I don't know, uh... probably the other night? Back when Juniper was still gonna be on the show, as far as I knew. Are we done now?"

"Wait! Hold on, what happened that night? What night was that?" Rhett jumped in, moving intimidatingly closer to Link.

"Hey! You said one question, not like seven!" Link yelled, throwing his arms in the air.

"I know, but this could be important!"

"Yeah, how important?"

"It depends on what your answers are."

"Okay, geez!" Link shouted, slapping his hands against his legs. "I guess... it was the night before yesterday." Rhett kept his gaze locked on Link. "We couldn't do our regular weekend routine because we were planning on shooting an episode with Juniper, who was supposedly coming in all the way from New York. Then I wake up alone in my own house the next morning and she's suddenly not coming?"

"Who even is this Juniper anyway?" Rhett asked. "Did you contact her without me knowing or something? Like, was it a surprise?"

"No, man! In fact, you were the one who contacted her! You even planned the episode practically by yourself while I worked on future stuff with Tonya!"

"Who's Tonya?!" Rhett asked with a squeal.

"Our producer, man!! Where have you been the last twenty years?!" Link asked, jumping off the bed and onto his feet. He moved to the open window behind the dresser to cool himself off a little bit.

"More like where have _you_  been..." Rhett mumbled to himself, squinting his eyes at the brunet. He stared curiously as the mild wind blew the messy hairs on Link's head.


	6. Chapter 6

Rhett laughed boisterously at the movie, and his arm scooted behind Link. Of course, Link immediately took notice. After that strange moment in Rhett's bedroom, he was a bit more aware of Rhett's actions. Sure, he said he was messing around, but Link wasn't too sure. He knew one thing for sure. His personal space was diminishing. With his own Rhett, he was more than comfortable being that close to him, but this wasn't _his_  Rhett. He constantly reminded himself of this.

"Rhett, could you...?" Link asked softly, gesturing at the hand behind him. Rhett quickly retracted it, and his face bloomed bright red.

"Sorry," he chirped with a giggle. "It's just that I... uh..." He turned the other way, and even though this wasn't exactly the same Rhett Link had known for over thirty years, he could read his friend's embarrassment like a book. Just by instinct, Link grabbed Rhett's hand, earning Rhett's full attention.

"It's okay, man. Just... try to control yourself, okay? I'm not _your_  Link. Remember?" It was strange to hear those words escape his own mouth. He was never Rhett's to begin with... but the expression seemed to fit the circumstance perfectly.

"Yeah, sorry. I know," Rhett mumbled, keeping his eyes fixed to his hand in Link's. He looked up to see Link staring at him, so he pulled his hand away. They continued watching the movie, though they were hardly watching. Their minds were too occupied on each other to really pay any attention to it.

Within minutes, a loud grumble emanated from Rhett's stomach, and he giggled in slight embarrassment. Link joined in with laughs of his own, thinning the tension in the air a bit.

"Sounds like someone wants a snack," Link teased, patting Rhett's belly as he got off the couch.

"I'll make the popcorn if you get the drinks," Rhett squeaked, jumping off the couch and making a beeline for the kitchen.

They soon came back to their movie with a big bowl of popcorn and their own glasses of Cola. They felt a bit more comfortable as they shared their snack.

A mischievous grin spread across Rhett's face as he glanced over at Link. With a silent snicker, he flung a piece of popcorn at Link's neck.

"What the..." Link picked up the popped kernel and examined it. Before he could make a remark at Rhett, another piece bounced off his glasses. "Hey!" he squeaked, darting his hand into the popcorn bowl and flinging pieces at Rhett in retaliation.

"Oh, now it's war!!!" Rhett laughed. He opened his mouth wide and tried to catch the buttery pieces. His snapping mouth inched closer and closer to Link with every bite of popcorn until his face was within a foot's distance from Link's.

"Whoa, there..." Link warned, backing away as Rhett came in closer. He leaned so far over he flopped onto the couch, knocking over the popcorn bowl and pushing Link down with him.

They both lied chuckling on the couch. Popcorn was spilled everywhere. Feeling spontaneous, Rhett nipped at the stray pieces that got all over Link, eating them off his shirt and slowly making his way to Link's neck. Link's arms quickly shuddered as goosebumps trailed down them while Rhett's beard tickled his skin. He raked his teeth against Link's neck, catching the man off-guard. Link jumped up and shoved Rhett off him with all his might.

"What the hell, man?!" Link screeched as he curled himself into a ball on the opposite end of the couch as Rhett was. He brushed off any excess popcorn from himself as he stared Rhett down for an explanation. Rhett stared back with large doe eyes. His face was flushed red.

"I... I'm sorry..." he squeaked softly. Worry continued to fill his eyes with every second.

"Why're you being like that, man?!" Link pressed, keeping his dagger-eyed gaze on the guilty blond. Before Rhett could even speak, Link continued. "I don't know if that's something you do with your Link, but I'm not your Link!! How many times do you need to get that through your head before it actually sticks?!"

"But I..." Rhett blurted, then raised his voice, "I don't!"

"You don't what?!"

"I don't do that with my Link! We're not anything more than friends!!" Rhett yelled, not really needing to since Link was stunned into silence. "I know we do things on the show, and even at home that make us seem like more, but..." Rhett paused, breathing vigorously. His spurts of breath quickly changed to forcefully quiet sobs. "I'm sorry," he whispered, trying his best to compose himself. "I... I love him... Sometimes I just... can't help myself." He paused to wipe the wetness from his eyes. He looked back at Link with the saddest eyes Link had ever seen from his best friend. "I know you're not him... but... It's easier to, you know, act how I feel when it's you I'm with. I can't really explain it. It's kinda complicated to wrap my head around. I'm sorry."

"That doesn't mean you can just make a move on me! Your Link or not, that's not the way to go!" Link yelled, shoving himself off true couch. More popcorn fell from him and scattered on the carpet. Rhett watched him walk down the hall toward his bedroom.

"Link...! Come on, man! I'm sorry!" Rhett begged.

"Just... leave me alone for a moment, okay?" Link muttered as he locked himself in Rhett's room.

He paced the room, his feet practically stomping against the hardwood floor.

_Who does he think he is_?! _What makes him think it's okay to do that_?!

His feet moved faster as he searched the room for something he could take his anger out on. He started by kicking the dresser, hurting his toe while doing so. He hissed in pain, cursing himself for that dumb idea. He suddenly saw something shine from the top of he dresser, right beside a wooden-based table lamp. He quickly snatched the object and reeled it back, readying it for a strong toss. The object tingled in his palm, stopping Link from following through on the throw. With furrowed brows, he brought the oddly familiar object to his view. The coin shined once more, tracing the infinity symbol facing upwards.

"How did this get here?" Link mumbled to himself, examining the coin more thoroughly.

~*~

"Wh... Why you staring at me like that?" Link asked, wary of the strange way Rhett was glaring at him.

"Just thinking," Rhett replied. His gaze stayed affixed with his suspicious expression, and it was clearly making Link uncomfortable. Something was going on inside that head of dirty blond hair, and he wanted to know what it was.

"Thinking about what, then? 'Cause I want this to stop. It's weirding me out."

"About you," Rhett answered, chuckling softly as he leaned onto his knees. "I think you're from another universe," he continued, completely nonchalant in his tone as if he hadn't just said the most far-fetched thing Link could ever hear.

"Oh please," Link snorted dismissively. "Not this again."

"Well, think about it," Rhett egged, standing up from the bed. "Your personality is way different than what I'm used to..." He started counting his reasons with his fingers. "What you remember and what I remember about our lives have certain key differences - especially those of the more recent aspects... You obviously don't have some kind of identity thing going on... And, dang it Link, nothing else makes more sense!"

"Lots of things make more sense than this! You're just too stupid to come up with anything else!" Link argued. "Alternate universe...pff..."

"Well, okay, maybe not an alternate universe," Rhett enthused, moving closer to the brunet. "Alternate timeline makes more sense, since our backstories are still the same."

"Rhett..." Link grumbled.

"Do you still have your engineering degree in your timeline?" Rhett asked, grabbing the air until he had Link's hands.

"Would you let go of me?!" Link squealed, wiggling his hands out of Rhett's grip. "Stop it. I'm done with this conversation. It's all nonsense."

"Oh, come on, Link!!!" Rhett whined as Link moved towards the bed. "What do you think all this is, then?!"

"I don't know, Rhett! Why does it even matter?!" Link whined, falling onto the mattress with a bounce. Something with a ridge hit his hip, pinching his skin for a brief moment. He adjusted his pajama shorts and pulled the blankets over him.

"Well, if we figure out what the problem is, we can find a way to solve it," Rhett replied with a sigh.

Under the covers, Link rolled onto his side. Something hit his hip again, and this time he sought to rid of the source of this pain. He dug his hand into his pocket, finding a familiar round object. He took it out to examine. It was that weird coin he found the other day. Somehow he forgot about putting it in his pajama shorts' pocket then, hoping to show it to Rhett before bed. He figured he forgot to do that too. He turned the coin to see its other side, and the infinity loops gleamed a tiny flash of light. It was strange to see, given the lack of light the coin could possibly be reflecting under the covers.

Not hearing Rhett anymore, he figured he must've left the room. Link threw the covers off of him as he sat up on the bed. As suspected, the taller man was gone. He knew he wasn't far, as he heard faint clanging of pots and pans coming from the kitchen.

"Alternate timeline..." Link muttered, flipping the coin with his thumb. He took another look at it and replayed the things Rhett said in his mind. As he thought about the points Rhett had made, the idea started to make some sense to him. It really wasn't that far-fetched... He just needed proof that this crazy theory could have some truth to it... and he knew exactly what he could do to find it.


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter contains somewhat dubious behavior

A light knocking sound interrupted Link's thoughts. He shoved the coin in his pocket as the bedroom door creaked open. Rhett cautiously peeked through the opening, flashing hopeful eyes at the man inside the room.

"Link?" he squeaked softly. Link sighed in defeat and gestured for him to come inside. With his head down, Rhett shuffled into the room, shutting the door behind him. Link moved to the bed and patted beside him for Rhett to join him. Getting the message, Rhett quietly sat beside Link, careful to leave lots of space between them.

"Rhett... I'm sorry I freaked out at you, but you have to understand," Link began. He looked over at Rhett to see him keeping his gaze on the hands in his lap. "I'm not your Link, and you're not my Rhett. Whatever you feel about your Link is only toward him. It's like... like a twin thing. Think of it like that. You wouldn't flirt with your date's twin, would you?"

Rhett took a gulp in thought before shaking his head. "No," he whispered. "I get it... and I'm sorry." He spoke a little louder. "I miss him so much... I guess sometimes I trick myself into thinking you're him... to make it feel like he's not gone."

"I understand," Link mumbled, scooting a bit closer to Rhett. "Sometimes it feels like you're my Rhett too... until you do something weird and suddenly I'm back in this crazy dimension." They both chuckle at the truth behind his words. It didn't last long, as the thickening tension quickly silenced their laughter.

Link looked over at Rhett, who seemed a little better, but Link couldn't help but feel like there was something on his mind that he needed to share.

"You, uh, really love him don't you?" Link asked, putting a gentle hand on Rhett's arm.

"Yeah..." Rhett sighed, putting his own hand atop Link's. "Since before I knew what love was." Link wondered if those feelings were true for his own Rhett. Besides, this was an alternate timeline, which meant their histories were the same up to a certain point. What that point was, it was surely a mystery to Link.

"Is that... is that why you two, uh..." Link asked, blushing at the intimate thoughts going through his mind.

Rhett shrugged with a slight smile. "Kinda... I guess," he practically whispered. "Though I always wonder if our... I'll call them 'times of intimacy'... would be much different if we were in a more romantic relationship."

"Well, how about you figure that out when we switch back to our own timelines?" Link suggested with a lopsided grin, elbowing Rhett out of his daze.

"Wait, what do you mean?"

"You should tell him," Link urged, shaking Rhett's shoulders. "In fact, promise me right now that if and when all this is fixed you'll tell him how you feel."

"I can't do that," Rhett mumbled. "He'd probably do the same thing you did to me."

"Well, if you leave the shock factor to a minimum it won't be like that!" Link sighed, and then got off the bed and positioned himself to completely face Rhett. "Can I be honest with you?" Rhett nodded with big, curious eyes. "I actually... have feelings about my own Rhett," Link stuttered, feeling strange about saying this out loud - especially to another Rhett.

"No you don't... Don't lie to me to make me feel better," Rhett grumbled.

"I'm not! I'm dead serious! I loved him so much I followed him to college and joined the same classes he had just so we could be together!"

Rhett perked up, eyes wide at Link's words. "Wait... are you serious?!"

"Yes, Rhett! Why would I be joking about this?!" Link threw his arms out incredulously.

"Well, MY Link followed me to college, and we signed up for the same classes together just like you two did! That means whatever split our timelines apart had to be after all that!"

"And that means -"

"- My Link had feelings for me too!" Rhett shot up off the bed, taking Link with him in a big bear hug. "What are the chances he still does?!"

"That's the spirit, man!" Link chuckled, squeezing Rhett back.

"I'll tell him then!" Rhett squeaked in excitement. "But you gotta tell your Rhett too!" he barked, mocking the commanding tone Link gave him earlier. "I want you two to be happy together. Endless pining's not good for your brain. Learned that the hard way." They both chuckled as they released from each other's embrace.

"Whatever you say, man. As long as you stop taking it out on me, you've got a deal."

~*~

"Rhett!!!"

In seconds, Link heard rampant footsteps grow louder and louder until Rhett burst the bedroom door open. "Link! Are you o..." He trailed off at the sight of Link splayed out on top of his bed. He was in nothing but a pair of tight, red, mesh briefs, and they weren't doing much to hide the semi-hardness underneath it. "W... What are you doing?"

"I can't take it anymore, Rhett," Link play-whined as he stroked the sides of his soft torso. "We haven't fucked in days, man! I need you so bad..." His hands stopped beside his member, making Rhett gulp loudly.

"L-Link, we don't... Oh gosh." Rhett's jeans felt tighter the longer he stared at the figure before him. Knowing where Rhett's gaze was glued to, Link drew a finger down the length of his half-erect cock.

"Come on, Rhett..." Link purred, moving a little faster now. When Rhett stepped back, he slid off the bed and took a step towards him. "You _always_  help me out when I need you."

"Link..." Rhett warned, holding his hands up a bit to keep his distance. Link continued following Rhett until the taller man's back hit the door. Link stepped close enough to pin him down. "What the heck is this about?!" Rhett squeaked, sweating profusely. Link snickered as he reached for Rhett's chest.

"What's wrong? This always turns you on..." Link play-whined as he wiggled his hips against Rhett's, earning an involuntary throat noise from the taller man. Link continued to writhe against him until his lips reached Rhett's neck. "You never turn me down like this," he hissed, tickling Rhett's skin with his breath.

"Knock it off, man! You're freaking me out!!!" Rhett yelled, shoving Link off of him. In a flash, he whipped the door open and ran out into the bathroom. He slammed the door shut and locked it. He stayed bracing the door, panting uncontrollably. "Oh my god..." he sighed, confused and overwhelmed by whatever madness just occurred.

Link stayed in place, as though his feet were glued to the floor. His eyes were wide and his jaw was slack open in awe. He knew his Rhett well enough to know that he would've never acted that way toward one of his advances. This Rhett was not that Rhett.

"He was right..." Link muttered to himself. "I... don't belong here. This life isn't mine!" He finally moved from that spot and plopped himself down on Rhett's bed, which he consciously realized now was not as soft as the bed he was used to. He glanced around the room, noticing things that didn't normally belong there. He spotted some older pictures that he didn't recall being there for. "There really is no better explanation!" he cried. "I'm in another timeline!"


	8. Chapter 8

Rhett shut the car door and looked over at Link climbing into the passenger's seat. Rhett's dark, solemn eyes watched him buckle up.

"You sure you wanna go home for the night?" Rhett asked, trying his best to keep his hands on the steering wheel instead of reaching to touch the man beside him.

"Yeah. I think that's most appropriate at this point," Link answered, looking straight ahead through the windshield. He looked over the house as though it would be the last time he'd ever see it.

Rhett nodded his head. "Yeah, you're probably right." He put the car in reverse and drove down and out of the driveway.

"Thanks for driving me, by the way," Link said, finally looking over at Rhett, whose eyes stayed focused on the road for the time being.

"Of course I would," Rhett squeaked. "You might not even know where your place _is_  in this timeline anyway."

"That's true." Link looked out the window, watching the streetlights pass them in the dark. By the looks of it, some stores were already starting to close for the night.

"We, uh, still have work tomorrow," Rhett reminded, cutting the icy silence.

"I know," Link sighed. "And I'll still be there to help you out. Don't wanna just stop whatever you and the other Link started. It wouldn't be fair to either of you or your fans."

"Any ideas on what we can do? You're not comfortable doing what he and I usually do, so..."

"I guess we'll have to sleep on it. Figure it all out when we get to the studio."

Rhett's car pulled into a driveway. Link's head immediately perked up as a giggle came out. "Well I'll be..." he chuckled. "Even in this universe I managed to nab this hell of a deal of a house!"

"Really?! Dang, man!" Rhett squeaked in amazement. "I'd love to hear more about your timeline. I wanna know which of our stories are the same... which are different. Gosh, I just can't believe all this even happened..."

Link looked over to Rhett, who seemed so overwhelmed in amazement and excitement Link figured the man would never get to sleep tonight. He chuckled a bit. "Maybe tomorrow then."

Link leaned over the console and gave Rhett a strong hug. After a brief moment of hesitation, Rhett hugged back, relaxing against the brunet.

"What was that for?" Rhett asked softly.

Link smiled and shrugged. "I dunno. Felt like it, I guess." He opened the car door and exited the vehicle, careful as to not hit his head. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"You too. Good night!"

Link shut the car door and walked up to the front door before looking back. Rhett was still there in his car, most likely waiting to see if Link could get inside without problems. Link grabbed the keys from his back pocket and managed to fit one of them in the keyhole. He let out a sigh of relief as he successfully unlocked and opened the door. He looked back one last time, watching Rhett finally pull out of the driveway and onto the street.

Link entered 'his' house with a sigh. To his relief, most stuff in the living room looked the same. The couch may have looked a little more scrambled than he'd normally leave it, but he felt quite hesitant about touching it. He took a peek at his video collection out of curiosity, and was surprised to find a handful of what he could only assume were X-rated. Some had his and Rhett's names on them. He thought about watching one since Rhett wasn't around this time, but he quickly shook that thought away. He thought about his own Rhett... what he might be doing. His mind screamed at the idea of his alternate self taping him and his Rhett doing X-rated things, but he stopped himself with a smack to the cheek.

"The hell am I thinking?! My Rhett would never do that anyway," he reasoned with himself. "I'm sure if he really knows me he'd know that he's not the right Link..." His eyebrows furrowed in worry, letting doubt cloud his vulnerable mind. "If he knows, I hope he misses me as much as I miss him."

Rhett finally made it home after taking the scenic route from Link's house. He didn't want to rush back home. For some reason he felt the need to stretch out the night as much as he could. If it meant getting himself lost in a random development for a half hour then so be it.

He put the car in park and turned off the engine, but stayed put in the driver's seat. Conversations between him and Link replayed in his head. He had said he'd tell his Link his feelings if and when the Links return to their own timelines. He shook his head in doubt, realizing the chances of switching back would be incredibly low. What would happen if they didn't switch back? Where would that put him and this Link that wasn't his? What would become of their show? Would they still be friends? Rhett didn't know. He had the feeling that he'd be thinking about it all night.

With a deep breath, he straightened his posture and unbuckled his seatbelt. While doing so, a flicker of light on the passenger's seat caught his attention. He tilted his head, getting a better view of the mysterious object. He picked it up off the seat and looked it over.

"What kind of coin is this?" he wondered, running his thumb over the strange symbols and markings. "Link must've..." Before he could finish his sentence, the coin suddenly disintegrated to a pile of dust, which quickly blew away from an imperceptible draft. Rhett gasped in awe. He could not believe his eyes.

~*~

"Come on, Rhett..." whined Link as he punched a couple more painful knocks on the bathroom door. "Just come out! Let's talk about this."

He pressed his ear against the door for a few seconds, hoping to at least hear breathing inside. After hearing nothing, he sighed in defeat. He threw himself against the door and slid down it until he was sitting on the floor. He figured if and when Rhett was ready to talk to him he might as well should just wait there.

Glad to be back in his actual pajamas, he dug inside his pocket for Rhett's phone. He hadn't given it back to him yet, and was glad to have something to entertain him. Once again, he opened up YouTube and found another random video of GMM. Link smiled at the two men on the screen giggling and being silly. There was a certain spark he saw every time he watched one of these videos, and now that he knew for sure that this was a different Link, it was clear what that spark meant.

"I know you love him," Link mumbled, just loud enough for Rhett to hear him through the door. "The Link in the videos?" he added, making sure Rhett could hear him. Still hearing no response, Link continued, "The way you look at him... talk to him... I can see it."

He listened carefully for any movement behind the door, but still couldn't make anything out.

"Look," Link sighed, "what I did before... it didn't mean anything, okay? I just... It was just a test. I was thinking about what you said, and you're right! This... ALL this... is an alternate universe! An alternate timeline! I did what I did to find out for sure. You're not my Rhett... and I'm not your Link."

His frown melted into a soft smile as the two men on the screen giggled like children. They were wearing bathrobes to warm and dry their soaked bodies.

"You guys put so much fun and creativity in your show. What my Rhett and I do... well, let's just say it could be better if we included that level of silliness and creativity we used to have in high school. Now we're... just not the same." He took another heavy breath. "We're supposed to still be friends, but we don't do the same fun things we used to do. I wanna... I wanna thank you for giving me that feeling again... It made me feel like our whole situation could still work. Well, now that I know what's going on, that doesn't really apply..."

He listened once more, hoping to have gotten something out of the man. Still having heard nothing, he stood with an annoyed sigh.

"Okay... I'm done here. You don't wanna come out or say anything? That's fine. I'll just... see you in the morning then," Link announced. He marched to the front door and put Rhett's phone on the hallway table beside it. He dug the coin out of his pocket once more before placing it atop the phone, figuring Rhett would see it there. He did want him to see it, after all. He turned back, upset to see the bathroom door still shut, and called out, "I'm going home." He headed outside and let the door slam shut behind him.

Rhett, who had been brooding on the bathtub floor, jolted up to his feet and nearly tripped on the edge of the tub as he darted for the door. He rattled with the lock until he had some level of control of his hands before whipping the door wide open.

"Link, wait!!" he shouted, running for the front door. By the time he looked outside, he saw Link in his car already moving up the street. "Link..." Rhett's shoulders dropped at the sight.

Before he could think to do anything else, his phone vibrated beside him, shaking him out of the moment. The mysterious coin atop the phone bounced as the vibrating continued. He picked them both up, but looked at the phone first. It was a text from Link.

\- I'll be at the studio tomorrow morning. Don't want your show to die because of me. No hard feelings? -

Rhett sighed in relief. He hadn't ruined anything between the two of them. He knew this Link wasn't his, but they still had a decent base of friendship, and that was all he needed from him - especially now. He quickly typed and sent his response.

\- See you tomorrow then! -

"Good," he whispered to himself while pocketing his phone. He then took a look at the weird coin. He hadn't seen anything like it. He admired its intricacies, rubbing his thumb over the ridges. Before his very eyes, the coin suddenly vanished in a cloud of dust, leaving Rhett wide-eyed in astonishment.


	9. Chapter 9

The annoying buzz of Link's alarm clock woke him up precisely at seven o'clock the next morning. He slapped his hand around the nightstand beside him until he hit the top of the clock, silencing its obnoxious cry.

Link sighed as he slowly blinked his eyes open. Even rubbing the crust from his eyes didn't make him feel less groggy. He groaned as he slid out of bed. It took him a while to get showered, and he was struck with indecision as he perused the contents of his closet. Once he finally decided on a shirt to wear, his phone vibrated on the nightstand beside his bed.

"Great..." he whined, not yet ready for any interactions with people - especially with Rhett. He was no doubt gonna mention work, and Link was just not ready to discuss it. With held breath, he waddled over and picked up the phone.

\- Do you want me to drive you to the studio in case you don't know where it is? -

Link let his air out, dropping his tense shoulders in relief. However, he wasn't quite sure he was ready to talk to Rhett about the episode until he got to the studio. He thought about whether he actually did know where the studio was, and the more he thought about it he recalled it being the same building he and Rhett used in his own universe. He quickly typed his response out.

\- I'm running a bit late this morning. You go ahead and get started and I'll just meet you over there. -

Feeling good about his answer, Link plopped himself onto his bed. His arms spread out across his bedsheets.

"Maybe I'll sleep a little longer even," he whispered to himself. The grumbles in his stomach, however, had other plans. With a heavy sigh he got back up and got dressed.

He lugged himself into the kitchen and opened his cereal cabinet. He glanced over the names of the delicious cereal choices before him, but was shocked to find himself not wanting any of them. He didn't even feel like making himself coffee. He thought that maybe if he seemed tired enough they wouldn't have to record today. But that wouldn't be fair to Rhett. Even though he wasn't his Rhett, he was still Rhett. He was obligated to help him and keep his and the other Link's show going.

Eventually, Link drove himself to the studio. He took the long way, but he did end up getting there. He dragged himself inside, up the stairs and into his office, where Rhett was quietly typing away on his laptop. His eyes darted up to see the groggy man standing in the doorway. Shocked at the man's exhausted appearance, he shot out of his chair and rushed to wrap Link in his arms. He was quickly shoved off by the smaller man, who glared at him with red, irritated eyes, terrifying the life out of Rhett.

"Don't touch me," Link snapped, burning a hole in Rhett's fragile heart.

"Link..." Rhett squeaked. "I thought -"

"- I'm not yours, Rhett! You damn well know that!"

"Geez, Link... What're you -"

"Just leave me alone..." Link's voice hitched as he spoke, sending little red flags to Rhett's mind. He stood still, too flabbergasted to move, as Link turned around and made his way to the set. Events replayed in Rhett's mind, reminding him of something that happened years ago. He had to talk to Link.

He sprinted for the set, surprised to see only Link in there. He wondered if he had the crew skedaddle so he could be alone in there. Carefully, Rhett tiptoed to the couch, where Link sat clutching his bowed head like it might fall off.

"Link...?" Rhett peeped, gaining the brunet's attention as he slowly lowered himself onto the couch. Not bothering to run away this time, Link slumped further in his seat. "What's going on with you, man? You look like you got hit by a truck or something!"

Link chuckled a bit through his morose façade. "I _feel_  like I got hit by a truck."

"But seriously though..." Rhett added, "what's wrong, man?"

"Nothing you can help with," Link mumbled, avoiding eye contact with the man beside him.

"Oh, come on, man. I'll do anything to help you feel better!" Rhett squeaked, holding Link's shoulder with a gentle, yet firm grasp. "I know I said that last time I saw you like this, but this time I mean it. This time I won't give up and I won't walk out on you!" Link furrowed his brows and finally looked at Rhett. "That time in college," Rhett recalled, hoping Link knew what he was talking about. "I promised I'd do anything to make you feel better. That's what I do best as your best friend..."

"Oh, great, this story again..." Link muttered, scrunching his face to rid himself of the raunchy details from last time he heard it.

"There was so much I could've done to help... I regret walking out on you," Rhett continued. "I'm not gonna leave you alone this time."

Link took in Rhett's words for a moment, realizing his memories about that situation didn't match with the last time he had heard that story. Instead, they fitted Link's memory... but he had to make absolutely sure.

"Before... you left..." Link stuttered, "what did you... _want_  to do to help me?" Rhett stared in hesitation. A slight blush tinted his cheeks. "I... I want you to be honest." The redness in Rhett's face only grew as he tried to muster up an answer. "I won't be upset, Rhett. Just... tell me."

Rhett swallowed hard before forcing out his answer. "I... would've..." He paused to take a calming breath. "I would've... offered... um, myself." He stopped there just to take in Link's reaction. So far he was true to his word. Link remained patiently awaiting what he wanted to hear Rhett say. "You know, like..." Rhett made a quick gesture with his hand. It was enough for Link to understand what he meant.

Link's lips trembled as he forced himself to speak as toneless as possible. He didn't want to give away everything he was feeling just yet. "Wh-Why didn't you, then?" he asked, biting his lip afterwards.

Rhett's eyebrows shot upwards as his eyes grew wide. "I... knew you wouldn't have let me... We probably wouldn't still be friends at this point if that had happened."

"Well," Link added with a gulp, "what if I told you... that I _would_  have let you?"

"What?" Rhett asked, blinking rapidly in disbelief.

"Except... if that had happened back then, we... well, our show would be totally different. That's for sure," Link continued with a chuckle. "We'd be entertaining people in a, uh,  _much_  different way."

Rhett chortled as his brain tried to put the pieces together. He then leaned a bit closer, hoisting himself up with his arms against his knees.

"What if," Rhett breathed, "I offered now?" His dark, green eyes bore into Link's surprised blues. Link's entire face reddened profusely as he quickly swallowed the building saliva in his mouth.

"I... don't know," Link stuttered.

"Would you still let me?" Rhett asked, scooting closer on the couch.

"M... Maybe." Link tried to come up with a clever snap to switch the mood, but he was already too overwhelmed to come up with any coherent thoughts.

Rhett looked Link up and down, and a hint of a smirk stretched across his lips. Link tried not to smile at the bunching little apples in Rhett's cheeks, but his bottom lip deceived him with a little quiver. Rhett didn't miss that little reaction one bit.

"What if... I kissed you?" Rhett whispered, still smiling like the happiest little elf in the world. "Would you kiss me back?"

Link's throat tightened, making it suddenly difficult for him to speak. He quickly swallowed again and cleared his throat, giving him some leeway.

"Why... don't you kiss me and find out?" he rasped above a whisper. With a slight shake in his hands, Rhett reached out to cup Link's face. He petted the slight stubble on his cheek, and giggled at the sandpaper-like sound. Their eyes stayed focused on each other's smiling lips. Rhett's looked so soft compared to the fuzz around them, keeping them safe and somewhat hidden for so many years. Rhett's tongue darted out for a split second, moistening his lips in anticipation. The action startled Link a bit at first, and then made him giggle like a child.

"You're like a freakin' lizard," Link squeaked, earning a hearty chuckle from the other man.

"Sorry, I can't help it!" Rhett chirped through his laughter.

Before Link's laughs could fade, Rhett finally leaned in and made contact. Link's stifled giggles quickly turned into soft hums, and his mouth soon moved along with Rhett's. Hands glided up to caress each other's hair and shoulders, really taking in the moment. The idea of this being real and with his actual Rhett brought tears to Link's eyes. He had to pull away when the sniffles started to take him over. When he did, he threw his arms around Rhett and snuggled against his shoulder.

"I missed you so much," Link whispered. His tears already started leaving wet spots on Rhett's shirt.

"I missed you too," Rhett squeaked, hugging Link back with all his might.

Link turned his head to face his sweetheart with a tear-ridden smile. "So you knew, then? About the other Link?"

"Oh yeah," Rhett chuckled. "I knew even way before he figured it out. It took him to give me the scare of my life to finally get it. Turns out he's just as stubborn as you are."

"Well, he was still me after all," Link laughed. Rhett chuckled with him and placed a tiny peck on the top of Link's head. "I think his timeline was formed that day you left me alone. You said you wanted to... well, jerk me off...? In their timeline you actually did!"

"Oh gosh! That's... actually pretty amazing!" Rhett laughed. His chest moved with each hearty chuckle, making Link's head bounce slightly. "Other Rhett must've really had the balls to do whatever he wanted, I take it!"

"The thing is, though..." Link continued. Rhett stopped laughing to hear what he had to add. "I think I like how our timelines formed better."

"Why's that?"

"Here we didn't have to deal with the stress of being friends with benefits, or whatever they wanna call it, before finally confessing our feelings. At least, I hope that they're finally confessing. Your counterpart promised me he would if we ever switched back to our own timelines."

"Was I just as handsome in the other timeline?" Rhett asked with a smirk, rubbing Link's arm like he was trying to light a fire on him.

"I'm sure you're handsome in every timeline," Link giggled, prying Rhett's hand off him before he really did start a fire on him, "except the one where you never decided to grow facial hair and you look like a slug."

"Hey!!" Rhett immediately lunged to tickle Link into submission. Link squirmed and screeched into laughter.

"Dude! I'm only kidding!!" Finally, Rhett managed to pin Link down onto the small couch, and then kissed him once more.

"I know," Rhett rasped before diving in for more.

~*~

"Liiiink!"

Link's groggy eyes slowly opened, blinking rapidly as he adjusted to the light in the room. Rhett was kneeling beside Link's bed, already dressed and ready for the day. The sunlight from outside was excruciatingly bright for it to be morning.

"What are you doing here?" Link groaned. "Finally decided to show your face?"

"Link, it's twelve o'clock in the afternoon," Rhett nagged. "I waited for you at the studio for hours! I thought we were gonna figure something out! You can't just skip out like that, man!"

"I just slept in, okay? No need to get your britches in a knot about it. I'm sorry!" Link finally sat up and stretched. "Just let me get ready. Wanna make me a bowl of cereal while I get dressed?"

"Sure." Rhett didn't waste any time and headed for the door to the hallway.

"Wait, hold on," Link yawned. Rhett turned around to again face Link. "Should I wear something that goes well with what you're wearing? I've noticed you and the other Link kinda do that."

"Oh, you're watching our videos now, eh?" Rhett teased, sauntering towards the bed with a cocky smirk. "So you can enjoy them without me watching, hmm?"

Link grimaced in concern as Rhett came even closer. "Why're you talking to me like that? Stop that."

"But it's fun to tease you," Rhett chuckled as he once again kneeled beside the bed.

"I told you a million times by now! What I did last night meant _nothing_. It was just a _test_."

"What're you ta... Wait a second." Rhett paused and widened his eyes at the confused brunet. "Oh my god!" His jaw dropped as his mouth widened into a smile.

"Rhett...? What're you doing?"

"My Link!" Rhett chirped as he bounced onto the bed and wrapped his long arms around his beloved friend. "It's you! It's really you!!" he cried, nuzzling against Link like a kitten.

"Rhett?" Link took a moment to piece everything together. As he figured it out, he smiled bright as tears came to his eyes. "Rhett!" he squeaked as he squeezed Rhett back. "Oh my goodness... Tell me I'm not dreaming!"

"You're not! It's really me! Your buddy! Your best friend, Rhett!"

"Oh, man, I'm so happy to be back here with you!" Link squeezed Rhett even tighter as he pressed his face against Rhett's shoulder. "I have so much to tell you!"

Rhett immediately blushed as ideas of what Link might have to tell him started filling his mind. Butterflies began fluttering in his stomach. "I... I do too, Link!"

They released each other and sat at a comfortable listening distance on the bed. Rhett tried to keep his nerves at bay until it was his turn to speak. It suddenly felt like their teenage years, when they'd go out to the cow pasture and sit on those rocks to talk. He wondered if the other Link and his Rhett used to do that too.

"Okay," Link started, taking a deep breath before continuing. "First, I wanna talk about our show... since that's probably the easiest thing to talk about."

"Okay, what about it?" Rhett asked. Curiosity burned within him.

"Well, remember when we were kids and we used to record ourselves being silly? Or when we did that stupid Oedipus video for school?" Rhett nodded with a snicker, recalling how hilarious they were at the time. He wondered if he still had them somewhere. "I was thinking... We don't really do silly stuff like that anymore. I really wanna put more fun and creativity in our show. I think our fans would really like that. We could maybe even do skits and stuff! Songs too!"

"Oh my god, that sounds awesome!! Can we do, like, some silly music videos too?! I have so many ideas for those!"

"We could do a TV series! Or a movie!!"

"Whoa, hold it there, Spielberg. One step at a time," Rhett laughed, subconsciously grabbing for Link's hands. "We gotta see how the people like these things first. Start out small, that kinda stuff."

"Okay," Link panted. "So that's a yes?"

"Absolutely!"

"Great!" Link took a moment to calm down. The air between them suddenly felt thicker, and Rhett couldn't figure out why. He cleared his throat and waited a moment before speaking up.

"You had something else to talk about?" Rhett asked, trying his best to control his nerves.

Link gulped, and then chuckled. "Let's talk about that later," he finally said. "I'm just... I'm so glad to be back, and that you're willing to make some changes to our show." He paused and sighed in relief. "Was it feeling a little stale to you too?"

"Yeah," Rhett admitted. "But, uh, remember that guest we were supposed to have the other day?" Link nodded and listened patiently. "Well, the other Link and I still recorded the episode with her!"

"What?!"

"He changed my plan, though. We ended up doing what he called a 'taste test' with some flavored condoms we found in the prop room. It was actually a lot of fun!"

Link chortled a bit, shaking his head with a smile. "Of course he did. Judging by his and the other Rhett's video content, it doesn't surprise me one bit."

Rhett immediately perked up in surprise. "You watched their videos?! What were they like?" His jade eyes glistened in curiosity. Link hadn't seen him this excited in years. It felt like having him as just a friend again.

"They were all different," he started. "Sometimes they'd play a game, or do silly quizzes on each other." He smiled as he thought back to some of the videos he watched, blushing at the memories of some of his favorites. "The experiment episodes I liked the most. They'd let out all their silliness and sometimes get out of hand. Sometimes, the other Link would do or say something that almost made it feel like I was watching one of _our_  videos!"

"What?! That's crazy. There's no way he'd be like that. He was cautious about everything and anything we may have touched," Rhett argued.

Link giggled through his nose. "Well, I'm sure he's more open to flirting when he's around someone he actually wants to flirt with." Rhett gaped at Link with wide eyes.

"How'd... How the heck did you know about that? That he had... a crush on his Rhett?"

Link's face quickly bloomed red as he hesitated to answer. His eyes glanced downward at he space between them, a little afraid to make eye contact.

"Well... You gotta remember that he and I aren't so different, you know?" Link mumbled, just coherent enough for Rhett to hear him. Then, it wasn't just Link whose cheeks flushed red. Rhett stared with a slight smirk at the brunet.

"W... What do you mean?"

Having difficulty saying the words he'd wanted to say to Rhett since they were teenagers, Link reached for Rhett once more, enveloping him in a desperate hug. Rhett was quick to reciprocate, and planted a firm kiss against Link's soft, stubbly cheek.

"I love you so much, Link," Rhett cried. "I always have."

"That's why our whole situation started, isn't it?" Rhett nodded with a guilty shrug. "But then why were you so distant with me for all these years?! Were you afraid or something?"

"Yes!" Rhett whined. "Of course I was, Link! Us having... stress-relief sex every week was the closest thing to having something between us, and I didn't want to push you further... regardless of how much I wanted you. Distancing myself was easier than to resist myself."

"But... now that it's not necessary, where does that put us?" Link asked, fluttering his eyelashes at the other man.

"Hopefully at a place we can both be comfortable and happy," Rhett replied with a soft smile. "How... does the term 'boyfriends' sound?"

Link snickered through his nose and lightly elbowed the blond. "Well, I guess it's a start," he teased, rolling his eyes playfully.

"You want me to call you Linkypoo?" Rhett squeaked, scooting closer to Link with a slight push. Link's cheeks bloomed bright pink and shook his head vigorously.

"Oh, god... please don't call me that. At least not yet..."

"Too late, you're stuck with it!" Rhett giggled before pecking Link's cheek once more. Link's eyebrows shot high up on his forehead as his shimmering blue eyes grew wide in what Rhett could only read as frustration.

"And for fuck's sake, just kiss me for real already!" Link screeched as his arms flew out to grapple around Rhett's neck and shoulders, pulling the taller man in for an insistent kiss. By the time Rhett came out of his brief stunned paralysis and began kissing Link back, Link pulled away with a loud smacking sound. "Also..." he began through labored breath, "I know we've had sex countless times before... but instead, I'd really like to finally make love with you."

He flashed his lust-hungry glare at the taller man, whose entire body tingled at that very statement.

"You don't think we're moving too fast?" Rhett teased with a smirk.

"Shut up," giggled Link as he pulled Rhett atop him on the mattress.


	10. Chapter 10

Link giggled as Rhett’s beard tickled his face. He always wondered how it would feel while they kissed, and he wasn’t disappointed at all. He kissed back vigorously, not noticing that someone had just entered the room.

“Oh, I didn’t know you two were in here,” called a voice with a chuckle. Shocked, the two love birds pulled away and stared doe-eyed at the intruder. “You should probably save all that for the show,” the young man suggested as he moved a large box into the studio. “Speaking of, you guys still didn’t tell us what you were planning for the episode we’re filming today. If you need extra help with that, we could always –”

“No, uh, that’s okay,” Link stammered, jumping off the couch defensively.

“Whatever you say, man. But remember, if you need extra help with the planning, Sam and I could get some sessions going. You know, keep us more on top of everything so we’re not rushing to get these done.”

“Uh, sure,” Rhett chimed in, scratching the back of his neck. “And… what was your name again? Bruce?”

“Chris,” the stranger sighed. “Link must be one hell of a kisser if he got you to forget my name.” Rhett blushed furiously at the accusation as Chris left the room with a shrug. The second the two were alone again, Link looked around frantically, really taking in their surroundings.

“Oh my god…” he strained, examining the contents of the shelves on the walls. “But you…” he muttered, looking back at Rhett. “Who are you really?!”

Rhett gasped, completely taken aback by Link’s doubt. “What do you mean, who am I?! It’s me! Rhett! I always have been!”

“No, which one?!” Link pressed, stomping closer to the taller man. He stopped mid-path to grab something off one of the shelves. He then made a bee line back to Rhett and shoved the photograph in his face. “Tell me what’s going on in this picture!”

“Geez, I don’t know! I’ve never seen this photo before, man! Now calm down and tell me what’s going on!” Link moved quickly to put the frame back before going back to Rhett again.

“Okay. First of all, you need to listen and take what I’m about to say completely to heart.” Link took a deep breath in and let it out slowly. “You and I… are in the wrong timeline.”

“What?!”

“Look at the studio, Rhett! It’s different!”

“That could’ve just been the crew changing the set on us or something!” Rhett defended.

“Then how do you explain the picture? That guy who walked in? And…” A sudden memory came to mind. Without another word, Link snatched Rhett’s hand and yanked him out of the room.

“Whoa, where are you taking me?” Rhett squeaked, following Link through the studio. A couple young strangers, presumably more crew members, eyed the two of them suspiciously. Eventually, Link stopped running at a familiar door. “The prop closet?” Rhett asked as Link heaved from so much sudden physical exertion. Link threw the door open, slamming it against the wall. Just as he expected, the prop closet was full of sex toys and different kink-related items. Rhett gaped inside with his mouth dropped open. The very corner of his mouth quirked upwards as he considered the humor of the situation.

“Believe me now?” Link enunciated through his teeth, trying to make sure no crew members were close enough to hear him.

“This is great,” Rhett laughed, a little too loud for Link’s liking. Link’s finger darted to his pursed lips.

“But here’s what I don’t think you understand,” Link whispered. His eyes bore straight into Rhett’s with great urgency. “We’re expected to be on set in a matter of minutes. This isn’t like Good Mythical Morning, and we gotta make it seem like nothing in this universe has changed.”

“So this should be easy, man! We’ve got nothing to worry about!” With that, Rhett made a beeline for the prop closet, immediately rummaging through the various piles, shelves, and drawers. “You gonna help, or what?”

“Y-Yeah.” Link hurried to join his friend search. His anxiety only rose as he went through toy after toy up to the point where he started to freak out. “We can’t do this,” he choked out.

“What?”

“Uh, come on! I wanna try something else!” Link called, suddenly rushing out of the prop closet and down the hall. Rhett managed to follow suit. “I wanna see if their closet is where ours is.”

~*~

Rhett scurried over to the passenger’s side of the company car to open the door for Link, who giggled at such an action. He liked how Rhett had been treating him since he got back to his own timeline. Once Link was out of the car, Rhett shut the door and sprinted for the studio entrance, challenging Link to a playful race.

“Dang it, Rhett!” Link squealed. “You gotta warn me!” He managed to catch Rhett right as they made it through the studio door. With Link’s arms around Rhett’s waist, Link raised himself onto the tips of his toes and leaned in for a kiss. Before their lips could make contact, what sounded like a stampede of people trampled towards them from all over the place. The two quickly separated from each other as a crowd of younger folks scurried down the steps. A sea of worried and concerned faces suddenly swarmed around the two men. All voices at once asked where the two of them had been, and were wishing that everything was okay. Link grabbed Rhett’s arm and moved a couple steps back from the crowd, giving them at least a smidgeon of breathing space.

“Who…” Rhett whimpered, soft enough for the others not to hear him. Link gave them a closer look, focusing on one face at a time. After a short moment, he realized he recognized some of them from watching their alternatives’ videos. He pointed out one boy with fluffy, brown hair and a round face.

“Uh, Chase!” he called. He tried not to smile when the boy perked up, ready for whatever Link was going to tell him. “Can… you help me bring Rhett to our office? I, uh, think he hurt himself racing me to the door.”

Rhett darted his head in Link’s direction. “Hey, what? I didn’t –” Link stopped him with an elbow to Rhett’s side. “Ow…”

“Yeah, of course,” Chase chirped, happy to help. The others cleared a passage for the three of them to move through. Once the guys were escorted to their office, Link thanked Chase and sent him off to the others before locking himself and Rhett inside the room.

“We’re in the wrong timeline!” Link blurted, eyes as wide as saucers.

“But you obviously know these people!” Rhett scoffed. “How do I know you aren’t pulling my leg?”

“Seriously?!” Link huffed as he marched over to Rhett, grabbing the phone from his back pocket. He quickly opened up his YouTube app and played a video, holding Rhett close to make sure he saw it. “This is our alternates’ internet show. If we were back in our timeline I wouldn’t be able to show you this. And why? Because it wouldn’t exist!!”

“Then what about our videos?” Rhett added, brows furrowed tight. “Can you see ours?” He swiped Link’s phone and quickly searched for their channel. His heart skipped a beat when the site said the page didn’t exist. “How did –”

A quick sequence of knocks startled the two men. They turned to the door as a woman’s voice called from behind it. “Hey guys! I know we’re starting late today, but we need to record at least one episode today so we’re not too far behind.”

“Okay!” Link called. “We’ll be out in a few minutes, uh… Stevie.” He guessed on the name, recalling hearing that soft voice in some of the food-based episodes. He figured he was right since she didn’t correct him.

Rhett chuckled, distracting Link from his brief moment of panic. Before Link could ask what was so funny, Rhett answered him. “You must’ve watched a lot of their episodes then if you can remember these people’s names. You might have to help me with that, especially if we’re gonna be spending the rest of the day here.”

“You’re right about that,” Link sighed. “But now we gotta come up with something for the episode, don’t we?”

“Ooh!” Rhett chimed, smiling like a child in a toy store. “How about we… play a game! Like maybe I give you a weird thing you can buy off eBay and you try to guess the price! You know, like The Price Is Right!”

“They’ve done that…” Link groaned. “We should do something more original.”

“We could test women’s jeans…” Rhett rasped, waggling his eyebrows at the brunet. “You know, test how they look on our butts or something.”

“Gracious, Rhett, this is a family friendly show! Let’s keep our butts off-camera, okay?”

Rhett wheezed into a raucous laughter, leaving Link sighing with his face planted into the palms of his hands. They had better come up with something quick.


	11. Chapter 11

Rhett waited patiently on set as his partner was changing in the other room. It was such a weird idea for an episode, but then again, who knows what other stuff their counterparts had done on their show. This idea may have been small potatoes for them. Regardless, Rhett twiddled his thumbs, somewhat nervous, yet excited to see Link in a pair of fancy panties. He hoped he would be able to control himself, but he figured he’d have to wait and see. It might not be as hard – er, difficult – to keep it cool.

Suddenly, Link knocked on the side door to the studio. Rhett wiped the beads of sweat forming on his forehead before calling Link in. “Come on down, Linkster!”

Link opened the door slowly, blushing furiously as he strutted into the cameras’ view. His hands were firmly planted on his barren hips, pointing all attention to the light blue lacing on his silky lingerie panties. It was a safe, yet dainty first choice, as it covered everything of importance down there, teasing Rhett with its barricade. Rhett couldn’t keep himself from smiling, or even staring. He never expected to ever see his dear friend in clothing like this, and he considered it a blessing.

“Well, uh… I like the color right off the bat,” Rhett admitted with a gulp. “T-Turn around.” Link did as asked, and with a slight bit more confidence he managed to make a bolder pose. With his thumb, he stretched the elastic under the lace under his hip and moved it just slightly lower, teasing Rhett even further. More silk barely covered the crack of his perky bottom, and the elastic sat perfectly low, accentuating those cute little dimples on the small of his back. “It’s really quite flattering, I must say,” Rhett added, not really knowing what else to say with him being so used to keeping his show PG. Speaking of, he already noticed the slight tightening feeling of his skinny jeans around his base. He squirmed a bit as he crossed his legs, instinctively trying to hide it. “I, uh, don’t know if it’s the, you know, absolute _best_ one for you – or… us? So, let’s try on the next pair!”

“Okay,” Link giggled as he sauntered back to the changing room. After less than a minute, he came back out wearing something a little more risqué. It was more of a bikini shape-wise, and its dark crimson color was more flattering on Link’s tanned hips and caught Rhett’s attention better than the previous pair. The netting framing the front pouch outlined everything going on in there, and Rhett found it nearly impossible to look away from. Link blushed as he wiggled his hips with more confidence than before. It seemed Rhett’s reaction to the panties awoke this flirty side to him, and he definitely was enjoying every bit of it. “It seems you dropped something Rhett,” he commented with a sly smirk.

“W-What?”

“Your jaw,” Link replied with a wink. Rhett knew there was one more pair for Link to try on, but he didn’t know if he could handle it, judging by how Link looked in this pair. The situation in his pants was beyond Rhett’s efforts at this point, as it was quite obvious to the others in the studio. Link seemed to notice as well, as his gaze dropped with a slight lick of the lips. Rhett was more than grateful that Link didn’t comment about it.

“Wow, Link, you look…” Rhett gulped mid sentence, and took a deep breath to keep himself from passing out. “You look fantastic.”

“Want me to turn around and show the goods?” Link asked with a snicker. Just when Rhett thought he already was seeing the goods, Link spun around to show the backside. The edges of the bikini curved perfectly around his buttocks, giving them a more perky appearance. Rhett adjusted his position in his chair, trying his best to calm himself. “I think he likes them,” Link rasped teasingly. “You want me to go ahead and try the last one?”

Rhett took another large gulp before breathing out, “Yeah.” With that, Link scurried to the changing room. He took a little longer to get changed for this one, and Rhett had no idea why. He hadn’t seen the ones Link had chosen and didn’t know what to expect. To fill in the long silence, one of the crew members spoke up.

“You doing okay?” a young woman behind one of the side cameras asked. Rhett snapped his head to face her, and quivered his lip in anticipation.

“I don’t know!” he squeaked. His head snapped back to the changing room door, which suddenly opened. Link strutted in backwards, his thonged bottom being the only thing Rhett and the main camera could see. The fluffy, grey waistband made Rhett grow curious. With a flourish, Link turned around and flaunted what looked like makeshift elephant panties, with his member dressed as the trunk.

“Ta-da!!” Link cheered, trying his best not to laugh. Rhett, however, immediately wheezed into a fit of high-pitched laughter.

“Oh my goodness,” he squealed. “And I was worried!! Oh man, that’s the best one right there.”

“You think so?” Link finally let out a giggle. “Then maybe I’ll keep this one. It’s kinda comfy.” He then turned to face the main camera and spoke directly to it. “This is why you should always take your significant other with you to shop for lingerie. You never know what tickles their and your fancy.”

“Thanks for liking, commenting, and subscribing! You know what time it is!” Rhett blurted. The crew members looked at each other in confusion. One of them actually checked their watch.

“I think we’ll just cut it here,” Sam announced with a nervous chuckle. “Don’t know where that little addition came from, but it’s fine. It was fun.” Rhett and Link chuckled to lighten the mood before leaving the set. Rhett went straight for the nearest restroom while Link went back to the changing room to change back into his regular clothes.

After a couple minutes of splashing cold water on his face, Link found Rhett in the restroom near their office. With a smile, he skipped over to him.

“That was a lot of fun!” he giggled, grabbing Rhett’s shoulders and shaking him. “You should’ve seen your stupid face!”

“Well, you should’ve seen how you looked in those things!” Rhett added, spinning himself around and grabbing Link in return. “The second one was especially flattering.”

“The red one? I thought it was a bit much,” Link commented with a blush. “It felt weird being on camera in basically my underwear. I don’t know how our counterparts do it every day.”

“That’s just something for us to get used to, that’s all.” Link pursed his lips at the comment. “I think we could do some more double-entendres on our own show too. They’re a lot of fun, and I’m sure kids won’t even under –”

“ – What if we don’t ever switch back to our own timeline?” Link mumbled. Rhett immediately stopped talking, really taking in Link’s words. After brief hesitation, he shook his head and stepped back into his old mindset.

“I’m sure we will!” he yipped with a hard, heavy pat on Link’s back. “Which is why we should enjoy ourselves here – explore this universe while we can. Who knows when we’ll find ourselves back home…” Link bit his lip as his eyes searched the room for an answer. He looked back up at his smiling friend and nodded. Rhett’s eyebrows turned upward at the expression. “Hey, you know what could be fun?” Rhett asked, his voice soft and gentle. “We could watch some of their videos. See what other things they’ve been doing on the internet.” Link chuckled, remembering when alternate-Rhett convinced him to watch one of their videos. His mind immediately took a more curious path, leading him to something he remembered seeing in his alternative’s house.

“I have a better idea,” he said with a smirk. “Let’s head to my place after work.”

~*~

Link raced into the costume closet bursting with laughter. Unable to slow into a stop fast enough, he slammed hands first against a wall. His gel-soaked wig flew off on impact, yet he continued to laugh. Following suit, Rhett tromped into the room wearing a shiny, red robe and a full-cowl pug mask. He barked after the brunet before ramming him against the wall. Link spun around, giggling more at the ridiculous mask his friend was donning, and removed it from Rhett’s head. The moment he was freed from the sweaty headpiece, Rhett began licking Link’s face like a dog, earning high-pitched squeals from the shorter of the two. Unaffected by Link’s attempts to push him away, Rhett continued licking and nibbling on Link’s neck and face.

“Rhett! Stop it!” Link giggled, squirming and wiggling at every touch. Rhett’s nibbles worked their way up Link’s neck and jaw until he reached Link’s lips, where he kissed him tenderly. With a long moan, Link wrapped his arms around the taller man, and he rubbed the soft, silky fabric on his back. He lifted a leg and raised it along the length of Rhett’s leg until they both heard a sudden grunt of surprise. The two separated in a split second and turned to face the source of the sound. A blond, bearded, spectacled gentleman with gauges in his ears stood in the doorway. They both immediately recognized him as a crew member, but neither of them could remember his name.

“I – I…” the boy stammered. Link rushed over to him with his hands in front of him, gesturing for him to calm down.

“Please don’t tell the others,” Link begged, keeping his voice down in case someone else may be passing by in the hallway. “No one can know.”

The young man’s wide eyes softened as he complied with his boss. He took a deep breath as he looked Rhett in the eye. Both of them could see the worry written on both of their faces. With a nod, he assured that everything was all right.

“Okay. I promise.”


	12. Chapter 12

Link opened the cabinet beneath his alternate's television, and then stepped back for the taller man to see.

"Take a look at this," Link giggled. Rhett kneeled down and perused the collection of home-recorded DVDs.

Rhett grabbed one and laughed. "How much you wanna bet these are sex tapes?"

"Knowing our alts, it wouldn't surprise me." Rhett went ahead and put the disc inside the DVD player on top of the cabinet, smirking like a rambunctious teenager. The video quickly started up, so Rhett led Link to the couch, where they sat side-by-side as they began watching.

Link was already clenching up every muscle in his being, tensing up completely before their alternates on screen ever did anything important. Alt-Link was setting the camera up and calling for his Rhett, excited to begin. By the sound of it, it seemed as though this may have been the first time the alternates had taped themselves. Their casual, goofy behavior calmed Link down tremendously. It was until they pushed each other on the bed that Link started tensing back up again. The Rhett in the video began ripping the clothes off his Link, and Alt-Link did the same to him. By the time the two were completely barren, the real Link was sweating. His wide eyes were glued to the screen. Even Rhett beside him could feel the heat emanating off of him, which led him to stare worriedly at his dear friend. As if he could feel the stare, Link turned to face Rhett, and was almost a bit bashful about it until he remembered that they're a thing now. It was okay to stare.

"You okay, man?" Rhett asked. Link's face grew redder as Rhett hoisted himself up on the couch, leaning closer to Link. He reached out and gently touched the light stubble on Link's chin, pulling him in for a soft kiss. Link immediately hummed the second their lips made contact, and his eyes fluttered shut. The tenseness in his shoulders melted away as he kissed Rhett back. The moaning and grunting from the video seemed to fade out until it was nearly forgotten. Link's anxiety diminished quickly. Just being in Rhett's arms felt so much better.

Soon, the wanton noises from the television grew louder, and mixed with their own happy sounds, the mood of the situation became hotter. Nerves bundled and twitched in their lower abdomens as they moved more heatedly against each other. Link soon led Rhett down with him until they were both lying down atop each other on the sofa. The kiss then separated and Rhett moved down Link's torso without hesitation. Link immediately recalled when Rhett's alternative tried this, specifically how anxiety-driven and overall terrifying it was. This time, everything felt right. This was exciting, and Rhett was being so amazingly soft and gentle with him. He could feel Rhett's love for him in every teasing kiss that tickled his torso and thighs. It wasn't long before he heard his fly unzip, and Rhett's hands were quick at work, palming and teasing Link's member through his briefs.

"What about you...?" Link whimpered, patting the fluffy coif of Rhett's hair. The blond chuckled as he smiled up at him.

 

"I wanna take care of you first," he purred, gently freeing his lover's cock. "I want to make you feel good this time." Without another word, he went back to work, tickling Link's length with the lightest touches as he admired it. It wasn't something he had seen much of in their past, but he knew a few details about it, like that he had been circumcised, unlike himself, and how his length dominated his own. He didn't expect it to get even longer when hard.

Without much more hesitation, Rhett wrapped his small mouth around the head. He flicked the opening with his tongue, earning a high-pitched shudder from the brunet. Just the idea of this moment actually happening would've been enough for Link to finish right there, but the way Rhett dragged out every last moment, making every movement so gentle teased him into holding off. Eventually, Link squeaked out his wish to finally finish, and Rhett was more than happy to oblige. He popped his mouth off the member right before it spilled. He couldn't help but wonder what the substance would taste like. The two of them had tried so many weird things on their show together he figured it couldn't be too bad. Just as he moved to lap up a taste, Link stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"It's my turn!" he urged, pulling Rhett up onto his knees as he pushed himself upward into a sitting position. He spared no time and took Rhett into his mouth. All his energy was focused on his actions, as he moved relentlessly on the entirety of Rhett's dick. Rhett couldn't believe how quickly and how much Link got him down, and every movement felt incredible. The sounds from the television, as much as they crescendoed, only melted into the sounds they themselves were making. Soon enough, Rhett felt his impending finish and warned Link, however, he stayed on and accepted every last drop. Rhett's eyes watered at the sight, and the red in his cheeks somehow got brighter.

"H-how was...?"

"You can clean up what you started now," Link interrupted with a smirk before lying back down onto the couch. Rhett chuckled before taking a timid lick from his lover's pelvis.

"Not bad," Rhett giggled. Link pulled him up for a quick kiss.

"That was a lot more fun than the video," Link purred. Rhett kissed him once more, smiling at the taste of his own essence mixed with Link's.

"What video?" he murmured against Link's lips.

~*~

"Oh my god, oh my god, I can't believe we just did that!" Link tried to whisper as he paced the office. Now out of their costumes, they had locked themselves in there, hoping to diffuse the tension of their secret being exposed. "We don't know these people, Rhett! I don't know if we can trust him to keep this on the down low."

"I'm sure it'll be fine, okay?" Rhett assured softly, gingerly holding Link's twitching arms. In an instant, Link whipped his arms out of Rhett's grasp.

"Don't touch me, please. I don't want us to get our alternates in more trouble than we already did."

"What are you talking about? It was just one person, and we were lucky enough for it to be someone in their crew," Rhett reasoned.

"Still!! In this universe, they're just friends! They don't do the kind of stuff we do! Every little thing we do is fragile and should be thought through carefully if we don't wanna get caught. We can't afford to be reckless here. It wouldn't be fair to them."

"We'd probably be doing the same thing in our own timeline, Link. You're making it sound a lot harder than it should be." He sighed as Link continued to ignore him. "We'll be fine."

"No, Rhett! Everything is not fine! That kid knows everything and I just know he's gonna spill it!!"

Rhett rolled his eyes and marched out the office door. He darted down the halls, peeking in every room until he found just the person he was looking for on set, building some weird contraption with another one of the crew members.

"Eric! Come with me!" Rhett cried as he pulled the young man up and out of the set room.

"Did you just call me Eric?" the gauged man laughed. "You know my name's Eddie, right?"

"Oh, uh... Yeah. Didn't realize I said that," Rhett muttered, trying to save himself from accidentally letting another secret slip. One mistake was bad enough for one day. He made it back to the office and pulled Eddie inside, shutting the door behind them with a loud slam.

"Why'd you bring him back?" Link argued. "Are you trying to ruin everything?!"

"If it helps, I haven't told a soul about what happened an hour ago," Eddie assured, smiling at Link.

"I'd actually prefer if that moment was completely forgotten, honestly. None of this should've happened," Link sighed while throwing himself onto the couch.

"What do you mean? Is everything okay?" Eddie asked, moving cautiously toward Link.

"It's nothing, Eddie. Even if we wanted to tell you you wouldn't believe us," Rhett chimed.

"Why not? I thought we trusted each other.. That's why I've worked with you guys for so long. I don't care how crazy it is. You can tell me. I promise you, whatever is said in this room doesn't leave this room," Eddie begged. Rhett and Link exchanged a look, seriously considering sharing their situation with this stranger. They figured if their counterparts trusted him there's no reason for them not to.

"We're..." Link stuttered. His voice struggled to stay low and calm. "We're not... your Rhett and Link." Eddie's eyebrows furrowed as his gaze flicked between the two men.

"What?" he chortled. "That's funny."

"We're serious, man!" Rhett replied.

"Dude, honestly, if the whole crew knew about you guys no one would make a big deal out of it. As a matter of fact, you'd get nothing but support from us because we all want you to be happy. You don't need to make something up to hide anything." Eddie sat beside Link, never letting the smile leave his face. "And you know what? You guys' relationship would give us so many more ideas for the show! And the shippers! Think of how much they'd love it!"

"The shippers?" Link asked. "Who the heck are they?"

Eddie blinked incredulously, staring quizzically at the man beside him. "You... really aren't the real Rhett and Link then... are you?"

"Well, no, we're still real!" Rhett chirped, sitting beside Eddie on the arm of the couch. "We're just not the ones that belong in this timeline."

"I dunno..." Eddie chuckled. "That sounds like a Rhett thing to me. Timelines?"

"We know it sounds crazy, but it's the truth!" Rhett added.

"How can I tell for sure?" Eddie asked, glancing at the two of them.

"Ask us things only your Rhett and Link would know!" Link chimed in.

"But then you could just change it or something. If I asked you both questions about stuff only you know... that might work."

"What...?" Link squeaked.

"Okay, so..." Eddie began, "in your 'timeline', what do I do on the show?"

"I'm sorry, but you're not even in our crew, man," Rhett replied. "I don't think anyone who works here is."

"What's your producer's name, then? Do you even have a show in your timeline?"

"We... do, but it's a lot different than the stuff you guys do here," Link mumbled, hoping he wouldn't ask what kind of content they used for their show. "And, uh, our producer's name's Tonya. We've known her since we... since college."

"What did you do in college?" Eddie asked, feeling like he was getting the picture a bit more.

"I know your Rhett and Link did it too, but we went for engineering degrees too!" Rhett answered, quite happy to share that bit of info.

"So then, you guys met Tonya in an internship at an engineering firm or something?"

"Um... kind of... just not at an engineering firm." Rhett's face suddenly turned beet red.

"Rhett, what're you -" Link asked through gritted teeth.

"We gotta tell him, man." Rhett cleared his throat and prepared to spill the truth to Eddie. "We... started off doing crew work... for, you know, adult entertainment?" He paused to gauge Eddie's reaction, which remarkably seemed calm. His eyes had widened, but thankfully he didn't say anything or laugh. "Tonya was the one who... said we should go in front of the camera... instead of behind it." Now Eddie's cheeks were bright red at the visual that was brought to mind. The three of them stayed quiet for a while as they all took in everything that was said.

"Wow..." Eddie breathed. "Well, I must say that's definitely not something I'd expect to hear from you two..." He looked at the both of them again, but seeing them in a different way than how he had been. "Or, should I say... them two?"

"So you believe us?" Link asked, keeping his hopes high.

"I guess...? I dunno... But... does that mean the Rhett and Link from this timeline... are in yours?" Eddie wondered.

"We think so. It's hard to be sure, but it's harder to believe that they'd be anywhere else." Rhett concluded. He got up off the couch and peeked out the window. He watched the cars pass and people walk down the street. For a moment, he wondered if these people were doing the same thing in their own timeline at the same time. Their whole situation was so complex. He could only imagine the possibilities of everyone else's individual timelines. He really felt the weight on his shoulders, and for the first time since he was a child, he actually felt quite small.

"Is there a way to switch you all back?" Eddie finally asked after pondering the science behind this whole thing. "Rhett, you're typically the genius behind these kinds of things. Do you have any ideas?"

Rhett shook his head. "I haven't got a clue. Even through all the research I've done the past few years, I can't think of anything that would switch us for sure."

"I'm sure if we work together we can think of a way to do it," Eddie enthused. Link snapped his attention to the young man beside him with the happiest face he'd had all day.

"You're willing to help us?!" he cheered.

"Of course I am!" Eddie said, matching Link's enthusiasm. "Though, we might need another perspective."

"What do you mean?" Rhett asked.

"Rhett's not the only one in this building who's good at theorizing quantum physics and mumbo jumbo like that. We're gonna need another smarty pants..." Eddie clarified.

"Well, what are you waiting for?! Bring them in!" Link squealed, clearly not wanting to waste another moment in this timeline. He jumped up off the couch and pushed Eddie out of the office. He watched the man run as fast as he could down the hall. A few minutes later, Eddie greeted the men once again, and let someone else inside before locking the door behind the two of them. She brushed her long blonde hair aside before putting her hands on her hips.

"I knew something was up with you two," she said, grinning confidently at the two tall men in the room.

"Rhett, Link..." Eddie greeted, "this is Stevie."


	13. Chapter 13

Rhett and Link giggled as they watched about their fifth video from their alternates' channel. They were enjoying the random silliness between moments of sexual education. They had learned a lot, as well, about different toys and techniques and how to safely use them. The idea of the two of them actually trying them in the future made them absolutely giddy.

Link snuggled closer to Rhett with a beaming smile adorning his face. So far, this new dynamic in their relationship has only been for the better.

"This timeline's so amazing," Rhett sighed, still watching the video from his phone. Link frowned, immediately recollecting how alt-Rhett felt about it, especially compared to how their lives were in the other timeline. It seemed like every time alt-Rhett thought or talked about his relationship with his Link, there was a pang of regret and anxiety.

"Rhett, our alts were stressed to death in this timeline. Being friends with benefits was tearing them apart mentally," Link argued, hoping Rhett would take back his thoughts of living in this timeline. "You should've seen how broken the other Rhett was."

"I'm sure they're past that now. I bet they're as happy together as we are right now," Rhett reasoned.

Link shook his head. "We can't confirm that! We don't know if the other Rhett told his Link how he feels! I know he promised me he would, but who knows if he actually went through with it! He was so broken about his whole thing he constantly confused me with his own Link!"

"Well I'm sure if he didn't, his Link would've stepped up and told him."

Link blinked incredulously at the remark. "What in the world makes you think  _that_?" Link asked. "I don't suppose you have any clues as to how he could've felt?"

Rhett snickered. "You would not believe how many times he tried to get in my pants, man. I mean, he was coming on pretty dang strong, but I avoided that like the plague."

"Rhett," Link sighed, "our counterparts slept together when they were  _stressed_. That Link was probably too freaked out to think of doing anything else. That's their way of coping, Rhett! Did you not realize how anxious he may have been?!" Rhett opened his mouth to speak, but was promptly interrupted. "This timeline? The one you think is so great?! This whole thing branched out when you left me that day in college! In this universe, you actually didn't leave! You offered yourself to me and I let you! This is what would've happened if you had done that. Am I happy you left me alone? No, but knowing where that would've left us, I'm glad you actually did."

Link stopped to breathe as he marched back to the television. He pressed a button and the tape they had watched played back from the beginning. He fast-forwarded until there was action going on, and then played it at normal speed before looking back at Rhett.

"Look at them, Rhett. Really look at them," Link started, pointing at the screen. Rhett immediately did as he was told, trying his best to capture what it was that Link was supposedly seeing. "There's no eye contact, let alone any displays of intimacy at all. It's painfully obvious how much they're holding back... from themselves and each other. So of course what we did was better!”

Rhett stared a long while before shaking his head with a smile. “We can fix that now,” he enthused. “Their show would be so much better with that new level of intimacy.”

“We can’t do that, Rhett,” Link argued. “You know it wouldn’t be fair to them! It’s their show, they should be the ones to decide what happens on it. And if they are together now and they want to keep it secret from the world that’s their decision to make, not ours.”

“Yeah, and what if we don’t switch back?” Rhett yelled, moving swiftly towards Link. His towering height and ominous change in posture really unsettled Link into backing away. “Then it would be our timeline. It would be our decision to make.” His jade eyes seemed to take a darker tone as they bore into Link’s. “Everything would be fine.”

“What the heck, man, you make it sound like you want to stay here...” Link practically whispered. His eyes never strayed from Rhett’s, as if the man would kill him if he looked away.

“I do.”

~*~

“You ever hear of the déjà vu theory?” Stevie asked as the four of them sat in a circle in the office. Rhett and Link stayed beside each other on the couch, and Eddie and Stevie brought some computer chairs over to sit close by.

Link looked to Rhett, wondering if it had ever come up in his extensive research of alternate timeline theories. “What about it?” was all Rhett said. It didn’t really help Link’s nerves.

“The other Rhett and Link covered it in an episode of GMM once,” Stevie replied, clasping her small hands together. “Basically, it plays with the idea that when you and and your alternate-timeline counterpart experience something simultaneously both of you can switch over for the duration of the déjà vu, which normally only lasts about a second or so, but it depends on the circumstance and the person.”

“So then... if both versions of us did the exact same thing as us at the exact same time, it’s possible for us all to switch back?” Link asked, his head already throbbing from the complexity of the theory.

“The only thing is,” Eddie cut in, “it’s most likely that the switch wouldn’t be permanent that way. Then you’d have to be stuck in a permanent state of déjà vu, which would... not be very fun.”

“There might be something missing in the puzzle then,” Stevie wondered, “something to keep the switch bound. That’s probably what started the whole thing in the first place.”

Rhett sat silently for a moment, squinting in thought. “A missing piece...” he mumbled to himself. Link watched him, hoping some good would come from all this insanity. Rhett lifted his head back up, looking at Stevie questioningly. “Could it be something... physical? Or do you think this missing piece could only be something cosmic, like a wormhole.... or a tear in the space-time continuum?”

Stevie paused before answering. It was clear she hadn’t thought about that possibility, but she answered with a light nod, “I... guess it could be possible. Though for something physical to be involved in something like this, it would have to be something at least attributed to some cosmic anomaly. Do you have something in mind?”

“There was a, uh, coin kind of thing I found last night,” Rhett answered. Link immediately perked up. “It stuck out to me as.... strange. I’d never seen anything like it before.”

“Did it have a... like an infinity shape on it?” Link burst out. His bright blue eyes were as wide as saucers as he awaited his dear friend’s reply.

“Yeah...” Rhett answered. “How do you -“

“I found one a couple days ago!” Link explained. “I brought it back with me to show it to you, but I never did! Where did you end up finding it?”

“It was on the seat in my car after...” Rhett’s eyes widened in realization. “Link... the other Link! He left it behind!”

“So the other Link must’ve found one in this universe too!” Eddie concluded. “That’s gotta be it! The missing piece!”

“Do you still have it?” Stevie asked, looking at either of them, in hopes that at least one of them have the token in question. To her dismay, both men shook their heads.

“The one I had vanished in my own hands,” Rhett mumbled.

“It what?!” Eddie yelped, surprising himself with his sudden volume spike. With a much quieter voice, he asked, “What do you mean it vanished?”

“I dunno. It kinda... disintegrated? I didn’t do anything to it; it just decided to turn to dust,” Rhett answered, looking at his palms. He recalled the feeling of the object losing its form before blowing away.

“That didn’t happen for me,” Link cut in. “Before I switched over, that is.” The others had their eyes on him, all wondering what the coin did. Link looked to Rhett as he continued. “You were asleep when I remembered I had it. I wanted to show it to you, so I put it on your dresser so you could see it in the morning.”

“So you put it aside...” Stevie muttered in thought. “Who’s to say it didn’t disintegrate when you went to bed?”

“I guess I can’t say for sure,” Link admitted with a grumble. “But I did see it again the next morning! I was in my own room, yet it seemed to follow me over.”

“You sure it wasn’t just the coin the other Link found, and he just put it there before bed?” Rhett asked.

“I don’t know, man! I’m just telling my side of the story!” Link sighed loudly before he continued. “Anyways, after you - er, the other Rhett - texted me to come over, I put it in my pajama shorts’ pocket and brought it over there...” His eyes widened as he made a realization. “I left it there! I left it at our house! Last night! Before I went home! It might still be there!”

“Unlikely,” Stevie interrupted. “It seems the coin uses the déjà vu theory to a degree. If it turned to dust in Rhett’s hand, I’m positive it must’ve happened to the other Rhett as well.”

Eddie leaned forward, holding himself up with his hands on his knees. “Where was it found originally, though?” he asked. “I mean, it still is a physical object, so it must’ve been created somewhere and sold for money. I’m thinking there may have been some kind of distributer near where Link found it.”

“Actually, I found it kind of nearby from here,” Link admitted.

“Like, in the studio?” Rhett asked.

“No, I found it while getting food the other day.”

Stevie immediately stood from her chair and rolled it back to one of the desks. “Then what’re we still doing here? Let’s go!” she beamed, gesturing for the others to follow her. “Show us where to go, Link!”


	14. Chapter 14

Link chuckled in disbelief. He could not believe that Rhett would say that he’d want to stay in this timeline. From day one, Link didn’t want to be there, so why in the world would Rhett feel differently?

“Rhett,” Link sighed. “We can’t stay here. We don’t even belong here! Who knows what we’ve messed up just by being here! And the same goes for what they’re doing in our timeline!” Link paused to breathe as he failed to gauge Rhett’s lack of a reaction. “I’m scared, Rhett. It scares me even more the longer I think about it.” He paused again, but there was still no visible reaction from the taller man. Link spoke a bit louder and stepped closer to Rhett, trying to get the upper hand in this dumb argument. “And no, Rhett, it’s not better for us to be here! So far, it’s done nothing good for us! We can’t be public with our relationship here - it’s beyond our control and it wouldn’t be fair. We can’t handle that kind of pressure on their show... and...”

“What?!” Rhett growled, tired of being spoken to like a child. Link flinched, but only for a moment at the sudden volume in his friend’s voice. He’d never spoken to him like that before, and it terrified Link to the core.

“I’m afraid,” Link stuttered, “for us.” Rhett’s demeanor relaxed for a moment as he finally decided to really listen to what Link was trying to say. “What our alts had? I don’t want that to happen to us...” He reached out and cautiously wrapped his arms around Rhett’s torso. “If we stay... I feel like there can’t be an us... I don’t want that to happen.” He relaxed as he felt Rhett’s stiffened body melt in his arms. He could tell, even without words, that Rhett didn’t want their newfound relationship to falter either. However, he felt a sense of trepidation from Rhett’s hesitation.

“It’ll be fine,” Rhett reassured. His voice was nice and soft now. “We have something they didn’t have here.. We can make it.”

Link huffed out a sigh as he lightly shoved Rhett away. “Damn it, Rhett! You still don’t get it!” Link growled, grabbing and raking his fingers through his hair. “We don’t belong here! Think about our crew! Stevie, Eddie, Chase, Jen, and...” He paused with a growl. “Don’t you miss them?! How do you think they’d feel if they knew what was going on?!” Before Rhett could even answer, Link continued. “What about our  _families_ , Rhett?!”

“Oh, come on. They’re in this timeline too,” Rhett argued flippantly. “We can still talk to them whenever we want!”

Link cocked an eyebrow at him. “Really? You  _really_  think so?” He sneered. “You don’t think the image our alts created for themselves impacted their parents in any way?” After not getting a response, Link marched right up to Rhett and poked the middle of his chest. “Then call them, Rhett! Call them if you’re so confident about what they might think of us... or them.”

With that, Link marched out of the living room and into his bathroom, locking himself in and Rhett out. He immediately turned the faucet on, letting the cool water trickle onto his hands. He splashed a bit of it onto his face, attempting to cool himself down in every sense of he word.

Rhett, on the other hand, stared at his phone. He wondered if there was any truth to what Link implied. He figured if that was the case, maybe calling his brother would fare better for him. He was sure Cole would’ve been supportive of him no matter what he decided to do with his life.

He found his brother’s name in his contact list and dialed his number, hoping with all his might that it was still his number in this timeline. There was also a part of him that wished it wasn’t, just so he wouldn’t know whether Link was right or not. He was starting to feel like that was the case since it was still ringing. Just as he was about to hang up, he heard someone pick up.

“What do you want?” they asked with a disgruntled sigh. Rhett’s heart started beating normally again at the sound of his brother’s voice.

“Cole!” Rhett squeaked, so happy to speak to him again.

“I thought I asked you to delete my number,” Cole forced out. “Why do you still have it?”

Rhett felt like his heart deflated in his chest. “What do you mean?” He asked softly. “You’re my brother. I’m not gonna lose your number. Why would I even -“

“Geez, Rhett. You know why.” Rhett heard Cole sigh through the phone. “Why don’t you just... go back to screwing that friend of yours.”

Rhett could hear the hurt in his voice, but his words still rang strong.. “What the heck, man?! Why can’t a guy just call his own brother without being attacked like that?”

“Well, what do you want from me then?! We’ve talked about how you can’t be hanging around us anymore. The path you’ve decided to pave for yourself isn’t what Mom, Dad, or any of us need to be attributed with.”

For a split second, Rhett was rendered speechless. His words were caught dry in his throat. “I... just wanted to know if you’re doing okay...” he finally whimpered. “I miss you.”

There was a long silence on Cole’s end. Rhett was hoping his brother didn’t hang up on him or anything like that.

“Cole?” He asked, wondering if he was going to speak at all.

“I’m sorry, Rhett...” he finally strained. “I’m a pastor now. Our family can’t be a part of the reputation you gave yourself. I gotta go.” He immediately hung up, partially clipping off his goodbye. The phone continued to ring in Rhett’s ear. He held it there, shocked, staring in utter disbelief. He couldn’t fathom how much their career in this timeline affected their families. He could only imagine how telling them actually went. Did they ever tell their parents, he wondered, or did he just tell his brother in confidence?

He finally ended the call and dialed his old house number. His thumb hovered over the send key as he battled with himself over actually calling them. After a long moment, he dropped his phone on his lap and sighed. Link was right after all. If this was how his family treated and thought of him, he wasn’t sure he could live with that. Not in this timeline.

~*~

“This is the place,” Link announced as he calculated exactly which sidewalk square he found the coin on. “I kinda tripped on it about... here!” He pointed to a crack between two of the squares. The others gathered around the area as Rhett took in their surroundings.

“Basically the only places around here are a Verizon, McDonalds, and discount shoe stores,” he observed. “There’s no way the coin would’ve come from any of those.” The others nodded in agreement.

Eddie shrugged and suggested, “What if it came from, like, a tourist from another country? Maybe it fell out of someone’s pocket or purse... or briefcase even.” He turned towards Stevie, who seemed to have another idea. She squinted her eyes before looking up to Rhett and Link.

“I have a question,” she stated. “What kind of universe do you guys even come from?” Before Rhett could answer, Link jumped to cover his mouth and let out an anxious giggle.

Eddie immediately chuckled and spewed out, “They do educational internet porn!” The guys covered their rapidly blushing faces. They couldn’t believe how abruptly Eddie gave away their secret... and so harshly spoken too. They realized they weren’t the only ones affected by Eddie’s words, but Stevie was blushing like crazy as well. She held back as much of a reaction as she could, as to not insult her alternative bosses. After a brief moment, she took a breath and calmed down.

“Sorry,” she said with a smile. “Just, that was the last thing I would’ve expected.” She then quickly shook her head. “Anyway, where was I going with this...? Oh, right. Well.... since the chance of our Link having any mindset about your universe is slim to none, I wonder if you were both just thinking the same thoughts.”

“So, more déjà vu stuff?” Eddie clarified. Stevie nodded.

“Link,” she called. “It’s very important you tell us what exactly you were thinking about when you encountered the coin. Can you remember what it was?”

Link blushed yet again, remembering in detail what he was thinking about at the time. He stuttered, “I was... you know, thinking about... things I wanted... and thought I... couldn’t have. You know, stuff like that.”

“That’s not very specific,” Rhett chimed. Link nudged him with his elbow, as if to tell him to stop before their situation gets worse.

“He’s right,” Eddie added. “We should know exactly what you were thinking about. It could help us figure out a way to switch you guys back.”

“We need details, Link! We won’t tell anyone. We promise,” Stevie urged.

“Gosh, fine,” Link sighed, scratching the back of his neck before finally answering. “I was... picturing a life where... Rhett and I could actually... be together... Like... I - you know... r-romantically?”

Rhett’s cheeks bunched up as a sweet, shy smile stretched across his face. The others were both smiling too.

“Whaaaaat?!” Eddie whisper-yelled.

“That’s so cute! Oh my god, guys!! That means... Eddie, that means our Link was thinking about our Rhett that way too!! Oh man... I can’t believe this!!” She paced around the sidewalk with her smile still plastered to her giddy face. “So are you guys together now?!” she squealed, bouncing on her toes. Rhett snaked his arm around Link’s hips as smiles bloomed on their rosy faces. “Oh my gosh, that’s so sweet.”

“So maybe the coin switched them based on their mindsets,” Eddie pondered, “and that they won’t switch back until they’ve both completed the objectives their minds set for themselves.”

Rhett squinted. “But Link and I have done that. We’re happier now than we’ve ever been.” Happy with what Rhett had said, Link pulled Rhett even closer for a hug.

Stevie, however, frowned. Rhett and Link stared at her in confusion. “What’s wrong?” Link asked.

“Our Rhett and Link...” she said softly. “They’re not.”

“Not what?” Rhett asked, somewhat offended at what was implied.

“Either they’re not together...”

“- Or things aren’t going very well between them.” Eddie interrupted. "Otherwise, they'd probably have switched back by now!" The others did not like the sound of that one bit. Their stunned silence was broken at the sound of Stevie scoffing.

“What are we saying?” she asked herself. She looked to Eddie. “Of course they’re together! We’ve known them for years! We know how much they mean to each other, don’t we?! There’s no doubt in my mind that the Rhett and Link we know and love are happy together. It's gotta be something else. I just know it.”

Eddie pursed his lips tight as he tilted his head. With how things were looking, he couldn’t come to agree with Stevie’s sentiment. By the worried looks on he guys’ faces, it seemed like they were just as unsure as he was.


	15. Chapter 15

The television at this point was just background noise. The video the two had made love to kept playing on repeat by itself, yet the only man in the room no longer paid it any mind. Rhett wished he could clear his mind after his conversation with Cole, but he just couldn’t get over how painful it was on both ends. He could tell by the pauses between his brother’s words that he still cared about him. It was just the words he felt he had to say that hurt Rhett. Just that feeling alone made him wish he could switch back, but he’d be darned if he told Link that. At least not yet.

He continued playing with his phone, looking through his list of contacts. He couldn’t help but feel he was missing some numbers. Shaking his head, he switched over to his camera reel, deciding looking at some pictures might make him feel a little better. He had a couple pictures in mind that he wanted to see in particular. To his disappointment, his reel happened to be nearly empty, aside from the pictures that were used as his backgrounds.

“What in the -“

“- Whatcha doing?” Link interrupted, startling Rhett to his core.

“L-Link!” Rhett squeaked, turning to see Link cocking an eyebrow at him.

“Did you call your family?” Link asked mockingly. Rhett’s words caught in his throat for a moment before speaking.

“Yes. I did,” Rhett finally replied, keeping his tone casual for his own sake. “And they’re doing just fine! As a matter of fact, Cole wanted me to tell you he says hi.”

Link squinted his eyes at Rhett, whose composure was slightly faltering under such pressure. “I don’t know,” Link pressed. “It didn’t sound like you had a very good conversation with him.”

Rhett tried not to let his feelings boil up inside him at that remark. He immediately countered that little eavesdropper with lies of his own. He wasn’t going to let him win that easily. “Actually, it went very well! In fact, he suggested we go visit them next time we go down to NC.”

“Really?” Link asked suspiciously.

“Yes, Link, that’s what he said.”

Link’s eyes suddenly focused on the screen on Rhett’s phone. He must not have realized that he forgot to turn it off after being spooked.. “What are you doing?” Link asked, furrowing his brows at the realization that Rhett was in his camera reel. He knew about all those candid pictures of him, as well as some selfies that Rhett kept on his phone, so it was strange to not see them there.

Rhett then realized his phone was still on. In attempt to keep the tension between them, he decided to mess with Link a little bit. “Oh, I’m just... you know, clearing out my pictures.” He turned away from Link, going back to his camera reel as if he really had been deleting stuff.

“But... you had really nice pictures of us on there. And all those candid shots you thought you could hide from me.”

Rhett whipped around and glared at Link. Apparently he hadn’t known that Link knew about the candid shots. He relaxed quickly, for this only helped his attempts at getting Link to apologize first. “Well clearly,” Rhett began, straining himself to say what he felt he needed to say, “we’re not seeing eye to eye on some things.” He took a breath as undetectably as he could. “M-Maybe we shouldn’t be seeing each other after all.”

“Hmph, you don’t really believe that,” Link scoffed, just loud enough for Rhett to hear him. He snaked his hands over the lounge chair and rested them on Rhett’s shoulders. He leaned in close and purred into Rhett’s ear, “I know you don’t.” His hands then went to work massaging Rhett’s broad shoulders. He could feel him melting under his fingers, and it told him everything he needed to know about Rhett’s true feelings. Then, Rhett shoved himself off his seat, yanking himself from Link’s hold. “Come on, babe, what’s the matter?” Link asked, still in a sing-song voice. He stepped closer, reaching softly for Rhett’s neck and shoulders. The taller man shook them off him as he tried moving away. No matter how hard he tried, however, he couldn’t help the blushing of his cheeks.

“You’re starting to sound like the other Link,” Rhett growled, shaking his head vigorously as he stormed off into one of the rooms down the hall. Link remained still as he threw his hands onto his hips with a sigh.

“Okay, fine,” he mumbled to himself. “Once he’s done acting like a child he’ll know where to find me.” He plopped down onto the couch and took out his phone. Out of curiosity, he went straight to his camera reel. Just like Rhett’s, his reel was nearly completely empty.

~*~

“Do you really think our alts aren’t happy together?” Link asked, following Rhett through his front door.

“I just have this feeling,” Rhett pondered. “The stuff Eddie was saying made a lot of sense to me.” He and Link removed their sneakers and left them by the door. “I mean, if this dé jà vu stuff is really how this works, then it would make sense that they’re not happy together.”

“At least not yet,” Link corrected. “I bet if we kept doing stuff they might do, I’m sure we’ll trigger a dé jà vu.”

Rhett led Link to his kitchen table and pulled out a chair for his lover to sit in before taking a seat himself. “How do you mean?”

“Well if things weren’t going well for us, what do you think we’d do?”

“I’d try to fix it, of course!” Rhett yelped. He surprised himself at how upset he was about this whole thing. “Like maybe... I don’t know... do stuff with you we used to do as kids.” Link perked his head in question. “Whenever we’d fight in the past, I used to reminisce all the time and it made me feel better. All those things we used to do? The sleepovers, the sneaking out and watching the stars, or egging people’s houses. Remembering all those things reminded me how much you mean to me...”

Link smiled. “You wanna have a sleepover? Like old times?” He asked. Before Rhett could answer, Link pressed on. “Since in both of our timelines, we still shared the majority of our childhoods. I’m thinking if we try doing all those nostalgic things we might have a breakthrough.”

“And so will our alts?”

“So will our alts,” Link replied confidently. “You wanna get some games or something while I get the snacks?” With an energetic nod, Rhett darted for the hallway closet, positive he’d find some board games and old VHS tapes in there.

Link scurried to the kitchen, immediately going for the cupboards and grabbing every box of cereal he could find. He also made a point to grab some Ritz crackers, chips, and then some milk, cheeses and dip from the fridge. He was so happy to find some cans of Cola in the fridge door, remembering how they used to put peanuts in their Cola cans for a hint of peanutty goodness. He went around looking for some, but he was upset not to find any. Trying not to let that get to him, he moved on.

“Need help?” Rhett asked, immediately grabbing the box of crackers. “Ooh, garlic butter flavor! Other Rhett’s got good taste.”

“Do you think he’ll be okay with us eating all his food?” Link asked, feeling a pang of guilt going through the other Rhett’s stuff.

“It’s okay with me,” Rhett chuckled, earning a smile from Link. “But seriously. I’m sure they’re both eating our food too, so it should be fine.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Rhett patted Link’s shoulder in agreement, and then leaned in to kiss his cheek.

“I’m always right,” Rhett whispered with a snicker. Link laughed sarcastically as he poured himself a bowl of cereal. Rhett’s proud little smirk stayed plastered to his face as he arranged a tube of crackers onto a plate before sprinkling a bunch of shredded cheese on them.. While he let it heat in the microwave, he helped Link clean up. Once their snacks were finished with their preparation, they headed out into the living room, where Episode 4 of Star Wars was paused and ready to play. The static lines twitching on the screen immediately touched their hearts. It suddenly felt like it was the mid-90s and the boys were back in high school.

Giggling like children, they hopped onto the couch, close and cuddled up. All nice and cozy with their delicious snacks. Link passed a can of Cola to Rhett who smiled as he took and opened it.

“You know, it would really be nostalgic if we had some peanuts in this,” he commented before taking a sip.

“I know!” Link groaned. “We’ll have to buy some tomorrow or something.” Rhett nodded in agreement and pressed play on the remote beside him. The two continued watching in merry silence, aside from some crunching and munching, with their eyes glued to the screen. Rhett couldn’t help but to peek over at his buddy. It didn’t take Link very long to notice. Those big jade eyes of Rhett’s glistened from the television’s light.

“You know,” Rhett finally whispered, “this is kinda like a date.”

“Not really. We’re just doing what we did when we were kids. There was no dating when we were kids.”

“Well, we were... just not with each other,” Rhett corrected, scooting even closer to the man beside him.

“True,” Link chuckled, leaving the conversation at that so they could continue watching their movie. However, he couldn’t shake the feeling of Rhett looming over him.

“Remember Leslie and Amber? Our firsts?” Rhett purred. “How crazy is it that we both had the same girlfriend and first kiss girlfriend?”

Link nodded with a chortle, following Rhett’s train of thought. “Pretty crazy, man.” He tote his eyes from the screen to squint at Rhett. “By the way, I always wondered why you were so determined to date Amber after she and I broke up. Even after I told you why we split, you were still so set on that goal.”

Rhett immediately burst out in a wild, silent laughter. “Dude,” he began. He took a moment to calm himself down. “Would you believe me if I told you I thought it would be like kissing you by proxy?”

Link’s face flushed bright red. “What?!”

“Okay,” Rhett breathed. “For some reason I had the idea that because she kissed you, if I kissed her it would’ve been like a game of telephone, but with kisses.”

It was then Link’s turn to burst out in a fit of high-pitched giggles. “I don’t think that’s how it works,” he chuckled. His laughter faded at the gentle touch of Rhett’s hand against his cheek. He suddenly couldn’t help but stare into that beckoning gaze on Rhett’s face. His soft lips slightly parted.

“You’re right,” Rhett purred, his eyes never straying from Link’s as he leaned in closer. His lips kissed Link’s with such tenderness, they might as well have been kissing a cloud. The moment they released, their faces were bright red. Neither of them could’ve ever imagined them finally being together, and they realized they probably never will really get over that. What they now had was truly special. “This is much better than kissing by proxy,” Rhett finally continued.

“Yeah,” Link hummed, cuddling against Rhett’s side as he remembered the movie playing in the room.


	16. Chapter 16

 Rhett slammed the bedroom door shut behind him. The anger in his face melted away as he let out a heavy, solemn sigh. His hand itched to touch the doorknob as he suppressed his desire to run back to Link. He mentally kicked himself for his actions, but he kept telling himself it was necessary. Things were better this way.

 Hoping to distract himself, he decided to take a good look around the room. He realized he never got a chance to really see what the other Rhett kept in his room. He figured he might get some insight from photos, documents, and other stuff he probably wouldn't have in his own timeline.

 He started by looking at the cork board by the desk in the corner of the room. It was filled with collages of old photograph held up by different colored thumb tacks. The first one that caught his attention was a familiar one. It was from the time when Link broke his pelvis. He snickered to himself at the memory. If this Rhett still had that picture, it was certain that the story was still documented as well. Full of curiosity, Rhett immediately went to the drawers of the desk. He pulled out drawers, searching excitedly for that old notebook he remembered writing it in. Without any luck, he filed through the stacks of papers and folders inside them. He finally pulled on the last drawer on the bottom, but it didn't budge.

 "Locked?" Rhett whispered in confusion. He yanked on the drawer again a couple more times, but to no avail. He looked underneath the desk, peeking at the side of the drawers for a lock. His suspicions were confirmed at the sight of the shiny, metallic lock pushed into the cedar wood. He began looking for a key in the other drawers, but he didn't have any luck. He looked down at the drawer again with pursed lips. "Why in the world would he lock a drawer in his own house when he lives alone?" he wondered. "There's gotta be something juicy in there... but where would he have kept the key?" He figured he might put it on a key chain with his car key, but after seeing the key on the dresser he realized his theory was false. He looked back up at the cork board again, looking at the pictures he wasn't familiar with. By the looks of the younger versions of him and Link, a lot of them had to have taken place near their ending terms of college. There was one that called the most attention. It was of him and Link posing in front of a medium-budget video camera in a dark room. He didn't recognize any of the other people in the background, nor the logo on the side of the camera. The two of them looked ecstatic, as though they had just landed a huge promotion. He noticed something else was off about the photo, as it bulged away from the board a bit. The bump was just big enough, he thought, for a small key to fit behind it. He flipped it up to find just the thing he was looking for.

 He smiled in excitement as he scrambled to shove the key inside the drawer. The button on the side popped open with a ching. He immediately pulled the drawer open, and was surprised to find it so light in weight. The only thing in that drawer seemed to be an old notebook. The writing on the front told Rhett that this used to be his Algebra II notebook from his junior year in high school. It looked used up to its core, which struck Rhett as odd.

 “Why would the other Rhett be hiding this old thing?” He wondered, gently lifting the relic from its hiding place. He was certain he didn’t have it anymore in his own timeline, so he was super curious as to why he would have it in this one.

 Rhett flipped it open to a random page in the middle. The second he saw the page he remembered writing it. Link had gotten a new haircut that day, and young Rhett made sure he ranted about how nice it looked. He had even drawn a picture of Link with the new ‘do with himself patting his head. The words ‘so soft’ were scrawled out beside the drawing. Rhett chuckled at the sight.

 Excited to read more, Rhett flipped to another random page further along in the notebook. The date was marked in the year 2000. He and Link were still in college then. He continued reading.

  _‘Today was Link and my first day at our internship. It was much more different than I expected, and in every way possible._

_It turned out that the studio we’re working for mainly does adult entertainment (which is awesome)! Link and I were a little weird about it at first. I could see Link blushing from across the set._

_When we finally were let on a break, I followed Link into one of the green rooms. He was really shaken up and needed some... comfort... so I did what I knew he needed. The director caught us in the act, and instead of punishing us like we feared, he put us on the stage for their next bit. They gave us a loosely structured script and said we can do whatever feels natural as long as the plot went through. For us, improvising was easy, but we did get a little nervous being on camera. I’m so relieved they didn’t make us kiss. I don’t think I would’ve been able to control myself if they had. Hopefully it’ll stay that way.’_

Next to the passage was another doodle. This one, however, had a more provocative feeling. The drawing was of Link once again, but he had no shirt on. There were shaded tones on Link’s face, clearly expressing full-fledged blushing creeping even down Link’s neck. Rhett was thankful that the drawing stopped at Link’s waist. He bet that even when his other self drew this, he was too bashful to try drawing what could’ve been happening down below that cut.

 Too flustered to keep looking at that page, Rhett flipped once more to find the latest entry. He was surprised to find that there were still some blank pages left untouched. Finally, he began reading the latest entry. It was dated just last week, which gave Rhett the notion that it was still being used. As he continued reading the passage, his face grew sullen.

 It became more and more clear that the other Rhett and Link’s relationship was very stressful for him. He had also written how he felt that maybe ending their friendship would be easier than keeping it and pretending his feelings didn’t exist. Rhett’s hands shook as he read those terrible words. He couldn’t imagine his life without Link. The more he thought about it, the more he questioned his recent actions towards Link.

 “This is stupid,” he muttered, closing the notebook and placing it gently on the desk. “I don’t want what could’ve happened to them to happen to us.” With that, he leaped off the desk chair and rushed out the bedroom door. Seeing Link reading in the living room filled his heart with blossoming warmth. He felt like he hadn’t seen his dear friend in ages as he threw himself onto the couch beside the other man. Without hesitation, Rhett wrapped his arms around him.

 “Geez, you big oaf,” Link breathed out from the force of the hug. “Finally came to your senses?”

 Rhett nuzzled his fuzzy face into the crook of his neck. “I don’t want to live the life they lived. I want us to be together in our own way.”

 “I’m not buying it,” Link hummed as he turned his smiling face away from Rhett’s view.

 “Let me make it up to you!” Rhett squeaked, scrambling up more on the couch. “How ‘bout I take you out? Try a date night or something!”

 “Is that how you ask someone out, Rhett, seriously?” Link snarked, still trying to hide his smile.

 Rhett cleared his throat. “Okay... Link, you wanna go on a date with me tonight?”

 Link turned back to face him, finally able to control his face. “Where are we going?”

 Rhett stopped to think for a moment. “How about a restaurant? Feel like Applebee’s or something? I’ll let you choose.”

 Link shook his head. “Probably not a good idea,” he replied. “We have to remember. This isn’t our universe. We have to let our alts decide whether they wanna put themselves or not. It’s too risky to be so public when on a date.”

 “Right, right, right...” Rhett agreed, nodding frantically. “Though... there’s still some things we can do that won’t be too public for a date.”

 “Like what?”

 “Let me show you,” Rhett chirped, slowly getting off the couch. With Link’s hand in his, he helped Link to his feet. Link smiled as he followed Rhett to the hallway closet. “People might not recognize us that well with these on.”

 Rhett picked out a soft, purple hoodie for Link to wear. The sleeves were a little long for him, but it kept him nice and warm. Link then picked out a white one for Rhett to wear. Once Rhett got it on, Link quickly pulled the hood over his head, snickering wildly at the prank. Rhett smiled and pulled Link’s over his head. After their giggles subsided, they led each other outside, keeping their cuddly hoods on their heads.

 ~*~

 “Watch your head!” Rhett whispered to Link as he moved a branch out of their path. Link ducked down as the branch snapped back behind him. Had he not paid attention, he would’ve gotten smacked in the face by that thing. As he looked further up the hill, his eyes lit up at the sight of a small clearing.

 “Race you to that clearing up there!” he laughed as he darted through the redwoods as fast as he could. Rhett quickly caught up and even took the lead with those long, athletic legs of his. Right at the end, however, Link used a sudden burst of speed to beat Rhett to the clearing.

 “Dang, Link! You beat me last second!” Rhett squealed in delight. He hugged Link tight, showing him just how proud he truly was. “I didn’t even slow down for ya!”

 “Oh yeah?” Link asked, blushing at the genuine compliment. Rhett was always the more athletic one of the two of them, so it felt nice to be ahead of him for once.

 “But we’re not done just yet!” Rhett growled before leaping at Link and tackling him to the leafy ground. They rolled and tumbled over each other, laughing like children, until they grew too tired to move. They stopped when Rhett laid atop Link, pinning him down and panting heavily. He suddenly remembered something he used to do to Link before they became friends with benefits. He smirked just as he was about to press all his weight against his friend, but Link’s movement stopped him from doing so. He leaned up and planted a short, sweet kiss upon Rhett’s nose, which left the man blushing so hard under the darkening sunset. With that, Rhett finally rolled off him and lied beside him on the crunching leaves.

 “I almost forgot how much fun this was,” Link sighed as he wormed closer to Rhett. “Makes me feel like we’re in middle school again.”

 “Yeah...” Rhett agreed as he snaked an arm underneath Link’s head. The sun was at the far horizon at that point, painting the sky with hues of pink and indigo. The light shone beautifully through the tall redwood trees.

 “Why did we ever stop doing fun stuff like this?” Link wondered.

 “Probably because of work,” Rhett snorted. “We used to spend every waking minute either planning or filming for our show. It’s been pretty stressful these past few years. If we didn’t have our team to help us we probably wouldn’t even be doing videos anymore.”

 “Maybe we should just... you know, quit. Quit the adult ed business,” Link suggested. “We could try producing content like our alternatives do instead! It was a lot of fun to film, and we didn’t have to do many cuts or retakes.”

 Rhett considered it to himself for a brief moment, but he soon realized it would be a bad idea. “We can’t do that,” he finally said. “Especially with our sudden boost of a following lately.”

 “Oh... Yeah.”

 “And also...” Rhett added while turning over to face Link, “you remember that episode we were supposed to film with Juniper the other day?” Link nodded. “When other Link and I filmed it with her, she told us how inspiring our show was, and how great it is to have an actually good sex ed show that our viewers can both learn and enjoy. If we stop giving them that kind of content, who will?” Link nodded again, but more solemnly. “Our fans need us. They need us to keep the show going.”

 Link turned away for a moment and looked at the sky. The sun was fading quicker by the second. “We should start heading back,” he suggested. “It’s gonna be dark by the time we reach the car.”

 “Yeah.” Rhett carefully got up to his feet before helping Link do the same. They started walking back down the hill hand in hand.

 “Rhett?” Link spoke, breaking the silence between their footsteps.

 “Hm?”

 “I... You’re right... We should probably keep doing the show. For our fans’ sake... but...” He paused and licked his lips. “Maybe we should take it easy. Hire some more people to help plan and prepare for episodes so we can still have fun like this. At least once in a while.”

 “That sounds good to me,” Rhett squeaked, pulling Link closer to him as they continued walking through the woods. “While we’re on the topic of fun stuff, there’s still one last thing I wanna do with you tonight.”

 “Whatever it is, I’m looking forward to it.”


	17. Chapter 17

“Geez, Rhett, when can I open my eyes? I feel like we’ve been walking for blocks now.” He was starting to feel anxious the longer they continued walking, with only Rhett’s hands on Link’s shoulders. Rhett had purposely parked a good distance from his destination, so as to not ruin the surprise. His smiling cheeks never faltered for even a second as he stopped Link on the sidewalk.

 “Just a minute, Link,” Rhett whispered as he ushered Link through a door that jingled when they entered. Rhett was so relieved that the place was open this late, though he was sure it would be closing within the hour or so. Eager to not spoil Link’s surprise, he pointed and motioned to the young lady behind the counter what he wanted her to prepare. Link smiled and chuckled at the strange, indecipherable noises he heard while waiting for his surprise. When all sounds stopped, he bounced in anticipation.

 “Is it ready yet?! Whatever it is, it smells like peanut butter and I want it!”

 “Okay, you can open them now,” Rhett squeaked. Link’s eyes opened to see a cone dish sundae in Rhett’s hands. His mouth immediately watered at the smell and sight of the huge scoop of peanut butter ice cream with little chunks of cookie dough inside of it. Without even thinking about grabbing a spoon, he just dug a finger through the hot fudge on top and licked a taste of its yummy goodness.

 “Goodness, Link, Why don’t you use a spoon?” Rhett giggled as he handed him a plastic spoon. He then was handed a cone bowl for himself.

 “That smells good too, man,” Link gasped as he ate from his bowl. “What is that? I got like a waft of cinnamon or something.”

 “Apple pie sundae. Wanna try some?” Rhett beamed, taking a heavy spoonful of some and handing it to Link. He nodded rapidly and leaned toward the spoon. He stopped and looked up at Rhett first, furrowing his brows in confusion.

 “You’re letting me eat it first?” Rhett smiled and nodded.

 “It’s fine,” Rhett confessed. “I mean, we...” He stopped himself, realizing the young worker was still in listening range. “Well, we’ve known each other so long, I’m sure I would’ve caught your disease a long time ago.”

 “Yeah, you know, most people don’t show symptoms anyway,” Link teased, nibbling softly on the spoon of ice cream. Rhett chuckled at the exaggerated tongue movements Link made as he licked up every drop of ice cream off the spoon. “That tastes amazing,” he hummed as he handed the spoon back to Rhett, who had just paid for their frozen treats. He looked around and recognized some of the franchise decor. “What is this, Cold Stone?!”

 “Yup, not far from the studio too,” Rhett added, taking a spoonful of ice cream into his mouth as he began to lead Link outside.

 “That’s amazing!” Link squeaked as they left the building. “I’ll have to come here more often then! How’d you know it was here?”

 “Saw it in our own timeline. We’re lucky it’s here too.” The two of them continued walking down the street and arrived at the studio, where the car they took waited for them.

 “Then how come you never told me about it?!” Link asked accusingly as they reached the car.

 Rhett smiled, and his cheeks blossomed pink. “I was saving it for your birthday... or even as a... first date kind of thing.” Link beamed like a lovestruck teenager as he went in for a hug. He was careful not to make the action appear more than platonic to any passers by. He then realized he had finished his ice cream.

 “So now that we’re done with our ice creams what do you wanna do next?” Link asked, tossing their spoons into the receptacle by the studio entrance as Rhett unlocked the car.

 “You’ll see,” Rhett squeaked merrily. They hopped into the car and headed back to Rhett’s place.

 As soon as they got there, Rhett scurried into his garage and pulled out a large ladder. Link hurried over to help him, and together they set it up against the side of the house.

 “After you,” Rhett insisted, stepping aside for Link to climb up to the roof. He followed suit, silently enjoying his view from underneath his friend. Link had noticed when he got all the way up and playfully slapped Rhett’s bottom once he also made it up completely. They both snickered at each other’s actions before sprawling onto the shingled rooftop.

 “Gosh,” Link sighed as he stared up into the night sky. “When was the last time we did this? High school?”

 Rhett chortled. “That’s why I wanted to do this,” he replied softly. “We made so many memories on my parents’ roof when we were kids... Remember how we’d always sneak out my bedroom window whenever you slept over?”

 “Man, was that sky twinkly back then... er... over there. I’m sure the cities’ light pollution brings the star count drop drastically out here.” He paused to scoot closer to Rhett, and then laid his head against his shoulder as he continued basking in the beauty of the sky. It’s still so pretty though... and I’m glad you shared this with me, Rhett.”

 As he spoke, he couldn’t help but feel a strange tingling sensation in his chest. He looked over at Rhett, and was slightly unsettled about what he saw. Was Rhett always wearing that pink hoodie? Why did he seem as confused as Link felt? Link looked down at his own hoodie, and he was still wearing the purple one Rhett had picked out for him. He looked back at Rhett to see him once again wearing the white one he was used to him wearing. Link shook his head as to reset his mind. He noticed Rhett had done the same, and his eyes burst wide open when he finished.

 “Whoa,” Rhett breathed, running his fingers up through his hair. “That was some déjà vu...”

 A light seemed to go on in Link’s head, and he blinked in doubt for a brief moment as he contemplated to himself. “I... don’t think it was just some average déjà vu...” he thought aloud. “‘Cause I felt it too.”

 Rhett excitedly hit his hand against Link’s shoulder. “You don’t think...?!” Link beamed from ear to ear, and leaped onto Rhett. His arms wrapped snugly around his broad shoulders.

 “We might be able to switch back after all!!” he cried, nuzzling tightly into Rhett’s neck. In all the excitement, Rhett turned his head to press a kiss against Link’s smiling lips. While doing so, the strange sizzling feeling came back. However, the feeling stopped the second the kiss broke.

 ~*~

 “I can’t believe it!” Link shrieked. “That was incredible! And you felt it too?!” He clutched the pink cotton of Rhett’s hoodie and pulled Rhett close again.

 “I did! I think we actually switched for a while there!” He pulled Link’s hands off his jacket and held them firmly in his slightly larger hands. “I bet that if we incorporate that coin we all talked about earlier with a déjà vu, we’d switch back permanently!”

 “Well, hold on there a second, Einstein. That’s a lot easier said than done!” Link reminded. “Do you realize how hard it would be for even just us Links or just you two Rhetts to do the same thing at the exact same time? It would be at least twice as hard for all four of us to do so... especially without communication between our timelines.” Rhett bit his lip in thought, as he didn’t realize how challenging this would be. “Also,” Link added, “we don’t even have the coin, so what are we gonna do?”

 Rhett immediately reached for his wallet in his back pocket. “We can try with just a regular coin. You said you flipped it to activate it, right? So we can try flipping a quarter or something.”

 “But how do we know if they have the same idea?!” Link yelled, interrupting Rhett’s thoughts. “What if it has to be the exact same coin, or they’re not flipping it at the same time? We can’t just keep flipping a random coin over and over again!!”

 “Well then we gotta find a way to talk to them through the barrier between timelines,” Rhett concluded. “There’s got to be a way.”

 


	18. Chapter 18

 

“Okay, okay...” Link stuttered excitedly. “What if we, like, hold that déjà vu feeling long enough that we just permanently switch back over?”

“Well, what if the déjà vu breaks? That’s essentially four people undergoing the same thing all at once. The chances of switching over for a long period of time without breaking is nearly impossible,” Rhett challenged, holding Link’s hands as if to calm him down. For just a second it worked. Link’s energy faded before transforming into pure stress. He grunted in frustration.

“Gosh, this whole... situation is so dang complicated!” Link huffed.

Rhett snorted. “Of course it is! The whole... concept of alternate universes and alternate timelines is a complicated theoretical phenomenon, and would be complicated to even theorize in the first place,” he yelled. “Who could've even theorized that the possibility of two beings switched to alternate timelines through déjà vu would be a reality?”

Link blinked in confusion. The words that came spewing out of Rhett’s mouth like a geyser left him too flabbergasted to even have a comeback. He shook his head, ignoring whatever nonsense Rhett just tried to explain to him.

“Anyway,” Link continued, “we just need to figure out a way to stay in a constant déjà vu, and of course a way to get our alts on the same page.”

Rhett sighed. Clearly Link was set on this impossible plan of his, and nothing he was going to say would change his mind. “You really think that’s gonna switch us back for good?” Rhett asked, hoping Link understood just how bad the odds were against him.

“It can’t hurt to try,” Link replied with a smile. His words were calm and smooth, reassuring Rhett.

“So then... they’re probably thinking something different,” Rhett concluded, scratching his beard in thought.

 “Oh, because we’re not sync’ed up, right?”

 Rhett snorted. “You make it sound like it’s our time of the month!” he laughed.

 “Hey, maybe in some universe...” Link teased. The two of them chuckled, feeling a familiar tingle in their bellies. They shook out of whatever just happened, but their heads wouldn’t seem to stop spinning.

 “Did you... say something?” Rhett asked, looking around for the distant voice that felt like it was echoing inside his head.

 “No... did you?” Link asked, feeling certain that he heard either his or Rhett’s voice. “I thought I heard you say ‘doink’ or something like that.”

 “Doink?” Rhett asked with a furrowed brow.

 “Yeah, like that!”

 “I heard ‘coin’.”

 Link smiled at his mistake. “Oh. Yeah, it was ‘coin’,” he corrected. “That would make more sense anyway.”

 “Wait, a coin? Why would that make sense?” Rhett asked, squinting his eyes at the other.

 “Well, I found this coin the other day while I was walking over to get lunch,” Link explained. “It looked cool and exotic so I wanted to show you, but I never did.”

 “Hold on,” Rhett barked. “Did this coin have, like, an infinity symbol on it?”

 “Yeah, how do you know that?”

 “Because I found it too... the night before I switched over here.” The two stared at each other as a lightbulb came on in each of their heads. “I don’t think it was a coincidence... I think that in order to switch back, we might need that coin again.”

 “Okay, so hand it over!” Link squeaked.

 “That’s the thing,” Rhett mumbled. “I don’t have it anymore. It disappeared.”

 ~*~

 “You think they got our message?” Link asked, getting a little lightheaded from crossing over one too many times.

 “I hope so,” Rhett replied with a sigh. He then cocked his head toward Link with a thoughtful expression. “Hey, got your wallet on you?”

 “Yeah, why? What’s wrong with yours?” Link asked defensively.

 “I don’t carry a lot of change, and I think we might need, like, a quarter or something.” Link’s eyes grew wide at the realization, and then he nodded rapidly as he reached for his wallet and pulled out a quarter.

 “You think that might do the trick, though?”

 “Wouldn’t hurt to try,” Rhett said as he took the quarter from Link’s hand. “I mean, the worst that could happen is that it doesn’t work.”

 “True.”

 The two exchange glances for a brief moment, nodding to show that they’re ready. As Rhett began to flip the coin, the funny feeling slowly came back. The quarter spun around in the air like an Olympic diver before coming back down, and that tingling that rang in their bellies got stronger and stronger... but it dropped back down to nothing the moment the coin touched Rhett’s hand.

 “What happened? Did it work?” Link asked. They both looked around, and then sighed.

 “Doesn’t look like it,” Rhett muttered.

 An idea suddenly came to Link. “Wait a second. I think we both have to hold it,” he suggested. Rhett nodded and held his open palms out to Link, one of them cradling the quarter for Link to touch.

 “Like this?”

 “Yeah!” Link pursed his lips in thought as he examined Rhett’s eager face. “I think... I think we should kiss.” Before Rhett could make a comment or question, Link continued. “Remember What Stevie said? That me wanting to be with you caused the switch in the first place, so completing the goal should switch us back!”

 “Sounds good to me!” squeaked Rhett as he went in for a kiss without even a second of hesitation. His kiss was eager and filled Link with butterflies. In seconds, the two of them could feel themselves crossing over again for sure. Their insides knotted and twisted, making them want to wiggle in anticipation, but instead they just continued their kiss. They had to know that this was going to work. In utter excitement, they backed away from the kiss, separating their lips with a pop. They both looked around.

 “Did it work?” Link asked, breaking the heavy silence.

 As if on cue, the feeling dissipated and their surroundings seemed to alter subtly. Things like the way the wind moved the trees, the weathering patterns on Rhett’s roof shingles, and appearances and disappearances of small insects around them changed instantly. They both collectively sigh heavily at the disappointing realization. Link’s breath seemed to have been taken away from the frequent switching, as he barely caught himself from falling forward.

 “Oh gosh, Link, are you okay?” Rhett asked, rushing over to his dear friend’s aid. Link didn’t answer, as he was desperate to get some oxygen in his lungs. His head spun and he nearly fell once more, but Rhett was quick to catch him. “Hold on, buddy,” Rhett purred. “I think that’s enough for tonight.”

 With all the strength he could muster, Rhett pulled both himself and Link to their feet. He gingerly supported Link over to the ladder, and then took him down one step at a time. He was very careful not to let him move on his own, fearing the chance of Link getting seriously hurt.

 The barely conscious man could barely see through his flickering eyes, yet a mysterious shine caught his eye as the two of them descended from the rooftop. He gasped out just a faint squeak of breath before passing out in Rhett’s arms.


	19. Chapter 19

_Ching! Ching!_

The sound was just barely loud enough to rouse Link from his slumber. He felt utterly exhausted, almost like he was hungover, but he knew he wasn’t intoxicated the night before. It took a lot of energy to even open his eyes. Once the light cascading the room faded to a more bearable level in his eyes, he realized someone else was in he bed with him. He groaned as he looked to the being beside him, Rhett. He sat there mindlessly flipping a large coin with a smile on his face.

“Morning, Sleepy,” he greeted, giggling softly to himself at Link’s bedhead. He continued flipping the coin until Link asked about it.

“What is that...?” he mumbled, wiping his eyes. “And why does my head hurt so bad?”

“You passed out and hit your head a little bit,” Rhett answered, now just holding the coin steady in his hand. I almost passed out, myself, last night, so I didn’t think it was necessary to get an ambulance. They wouldn’t have been able to help us.”

“What do you mean? What happened?” Link yawned.

“We switched last night, Link,” Rhett whispered with a grin. As Link’s memory started to piece itself together, he started to smile too. “I think because we kept switching back and forth in such a short timespan, it made us lightheaded and caused you to faint.”

“Do you think... the other Link may have fainted last night too?” Link asked, his voice now a lot less groggy than earlier.

“Why?”

“I... just have this uneasy feeling...”

“Oh, and Link!” Rhett squeaked. He scooted closer and opened his clenched hand, showing Link what he had been flipping all morning.

“Hey! That’s —“

“— The coin! I know! You know what that means?!” Before Link could even take a breath before answering, Rhett shouted, “Today’s the day we finally go back home!” Caught up in excitement, he embraced Link with an excruciating squeeze, making him yelp in his arms before returning the hug.

“Oh man, Rhett! Where in the world did you find it?!” Link asked, still grasping onto Rhett like a koala on a tree.

“It was up there!” Rhett pointed to the ceiling. “On the roof with us!”

“Was it always there?” Link asked, trying to think back to see if he ever saw it up there last night.

“I don’t know, but I didn’t see it until after you fainted. It probably warped through the barrier or something while we were switching.” Link took a moment and memorized the infinity symbol engraved on the coin, tracing it with his thumb.

“Weird...” he mumbled. “But at least we have it now. As long as our alts have it too, all we have to do is sync up again, right? Then we’ll be back home where we belong.”

“What do you think they’re doing right now?” Rhett asked, smiling in excitement as Link gave him back the coin, which Rhett quickly slipped into his pocket. “Let’s try to guess their every movement so we can switch back as soon as possible.”

“Hmm...” Link thought, touching one of his fingers to his lips. “I don’t know about Rhett, but I bet Link is about to make himself some cereal!” In a flash, he leapt out of bed and scurried for the kitchen. Rhett squeaked in surprise before running after him. Due to his long legs, it didn’t take him long to catch up to his shorter friend. The second he did, he tackled him into a big hug. He chuckled as his grasps tickled Link’s skin. His high-pitched squeals and giggles were like music to Rhett’s ears.

“Oh man,” Link breathed once Rhett released him. “I’m glad you came to your senses about staying here.”

Rhett rocked on his heels and flashed Link a perky smile. “Does that mean you’re not mad at me anymore?”

Link scoffed. “I was never mad at you,” he admitted. “I just couldn’t believe that you really wanted to stay here. You were just being a baby about it.”

“Yeah,” Rhett purred. “For some reason I thought this was the only universe where we could be happy. We could be in any universe and still be happy.”

Link beamed. He brought himself higher onto his tiptoes and kissed Rhett with a giggly hum. His arms squeezed him tight as he whipped and spun him around like a rag doll.

“Whoa, Link! You’re making me dizzy!”

“All the better to slow you down, my dear!” Link snickered, imitating an old woman before skipping down the hall and into the kitchen.

Rhett, however, didn’t chase after him just yet. He was currently more concerned about a feeling he had - or a lack thereof. He wondered why he wasn’t feeling any sense that their alts were currently doing something different than what Link predicted. He checked one more time to make sure he had the coin, and he sighed in relief when he found it still nestled in his pocket. He wanted to be ready at all times.

“You coming or what?” Link called. His voice mixed into the sounds of closing cupboards from the other room.

“Um, yeah. I’m coming!”

~*~

“Breakfast!”

Link blinked awake and moaned at the throbbing headache he had. His pain seemed to fade away at the heartwarming sight of Rhett bringing him a home-cooked meal. He chuckled at what the food was arranged on.

“The other Rhett doesn’t have a breakfast-in-bed platform, but this encyclopedia is big enough to hold your eggs,” Rhett explained with a smirk.

“You’re so good at cooking, Rhett,” Link yawned. He smiled up at the man gently giving him his food. The encyclopedia slowly pressed against Link’s thighs. “Thanks for always... you know, dealing with me and making meals for me.”

Rhett chuckled. “Well, I like cooking. I like doing things that make you happy.”

With a light giggle, Link brought a slice of buttered toast to his mouth. “That’s very domestic of you,” he teased before taking a big bite of the crunchy toast. He then took a sip of the gently steaming coffee from his makeshift platform. “But seriously... I... I’m really glad we’re finally together like this.”

“Me too,” Rhett purred as he gingerly sat beside him on the bed.

“I just... I just wish I could do more to... contribute to our newfound relationship.”

Rhett grasped Link’s shoulder and gave it a firm, but playful shake. “Hey,” he said. His voice was a few pitches deeper than he had been speaking all morning. “As long as you continue to enjoy my cooking, I couldn’t ask for more.” Rhett then planted a sweet little peck on Link’s forehead as he swiped a strip of bacon from Link’s plate.

It was then that a sudden flash struck Link by surprise. He recognized that flash. His eyes grew wide as they darted left and right, trying to piece together the fuzzy memory replaying in his mind piece by piece.

“The roof...” he mumbled, not even really knowing he was speaking.

“What?”

Link spoke more coherently as he sat up straighter on the bed. “The roof!” He moved his breakfast over and sprang up out of bed. He rushed out of the room the mere second his feet touched the carpeted floor. Rhett sat baffled for a brief moment before following him. Just as he got up to him, Link answered his question before Rhett could even ask it.

“I remember seeing something,” he explained. “Last night! On the roof!”

“What about last night?” Rhett called as Link continued running outside. To his luck, the ladder was still in place. He figured that Rhett must’ve been too tired to move it by himself last night. He scrambled up the ladder with Rhett trailing behind. Within seconds, Link found exactly what he was looking for... and it was just what he hoped it was.

“Yes!” He squealed as he snatched the pesky coin off the rooftop. He leapt at Rhett, squeezing and kissing him with every ounce of happiness he had.

“What... What’s going on? What is that?” Rhett squeaked. Link let him go and showed him the very coin that got them into this whole timeline-hopping mess.

“We can go home!” Link cried, hugging Rhett once more. “You think we can do it today?”

“I hope so,” Rhett hummed, hugging Link back with all his might. “We just need to sync up again, right?” A realization suddenly came over him. He released Link so he could say it to his smiling face. “I know just when it’s gonna happen.”

“You do?!”

“Well, even in this universe we start filming at 9:00. Something tells me that we’re gonna have quite a good mythical morning.”


	20. Chapter 20

Rhett and Link raced to the car, giggling like giddy little children on their first trip to Disney World. The moment they both sat in their seats they felt that familiar tingle within them.

“They must be on their way to work too,” Link concluded as he backed the car out of the driveway. Rhett’s feet tapped rapidly as he wiggled in the passenger’s seat.

“Right on time,” Rhett chirped to himself. Throughout the entire drive to the studio, that weird feeling never seemed to leave. It didn’t seem to get stronger either. That constant strain inside them started to feel uncomfortable, but their excitement was powerful enough for them to deal with it for the time being.

They arrived at the studio and scrambled out of the car and inside the building. “I hope they’re as ready as we are,” Link muttered, trying to keep his voice down so the crew couldn’t hear them. Judging by some of the confused faces that they passed by, he may have been just loud enough for them to hear him anyway.

“There you guys are,” said a dark-haired young woman who they recalled being Tonya, their alts’ manager and executive producer. She stopped them in the hallway. “I don’t know what you guys are planning to do with today’s episode, but we just received some new shipments from our sponsors that they want you to test on the show. If you could at least take a look at them before we get ready that would help get us a bit more up to schedule.”

“Up to schedule?” Rhett asked with furrowed brows.

“Well, yes,” Tonya replied starkly. “Our contract with them expires soon, and we have been sort of putting them aside for the past few days. While I must admit that so far these new spontaneous episodes have been boosting our statistics, we also have to think about our sponsors if we wanna keep this show up and running.”

“Uh... right,” Link stumbled. He looked over to Rhett, who seemed just as lost as he was. “We’ll... take a look. See if what they sent us inspires us.”

“That’s the spirit. Go be inspired,” Tonya scoffed as she walked away, clearly busy with how behind-schedule they were.

Link suddenly grappled Rhett’s arm. Rhett looked at him, waiting for the man to speak, but for a moment Link couldn’t speak. He stuttered, and an involuntary squeak came out of his throat.

“What’s wrong?” Rhett asked.

“I... I don’t feel... I don’t have that feeling anymore,” Link finally spoke. “Tonya broke it, and now we can’t switch back.”

“Shh, shh shhhh!” Rhett hushed as he slowly escorted Link into their alts’ office. He shut the door behind them and immediately went to comfort Link. “Link, it’s okay, man... Our time will come. We still have time. It’s not nine yet. We always film at nine.”

“How do you feel so sure?!” Link cried. “We’re not close to the sync anymore! I don’t know what’s going on!”

Rhett moved closer in a swift motion, holding Link close as he looked straight into his eyes. “Link, listen to me,” he said calmly. “We’re in two different universes with two different shows. Each of us are bound to prepare differently. The sync feeling is gonna go away for a while. This was expected.”

Link removed his glasses and rubbed a hand over his face. “Do you know for sure that we’ll feel it again before we go on?” He asked in a strained voice.

“Of course we will.” Rhett wiped a tear threatening to fall down Link’s cheek. “Are you gonna be okay?”

Link hesitated, silently telling himself everything Rhett just said and reminding himself that everything was going to be all right. He slowly nodded as he wiped another tear out of his eye. His response still showed a hint of doubt in his heart, but he at least seemed to try trusting Rhett and his judgement.

“Okay, so let’s take a look at those presents we got from our sponsor,” Rhett said, glad to turn the mood around for now. There were a couple black boxes stacked on one of their desks. Rhett could only assume that those were from their sponsor. Followed by Link, Rhett moved toward the boxes and picked one up. The label on them had their mailing address on them, but they didn’t include a return address.

Link snatched the other box off the table and opened it without hesitation. “Oh god,” he groaned, dropping the box back onto the desk. “For a second I forgot what universe this is... Then I see a big ol’ dildo in a box and suddenly I remember again!”

Rhett laughed heartily and picked up the toy Link had opened. He took a quick look at it and threw himself forward in glee.

“This is mine,” he chuckled. “They’re custom-made, man, and this one’s mine.”

He quickly put his back and hurried to open the other box, which presumably contained one made after Link’s member. Link, however, was quick to stop him. He lunged back over and shoved the top back onto the box before Rhett could fully open it. Rhett laughed even harder than before, and soon Link even joined in.

“You wanna feature these on the show today?” Rhett teased. His cheeks stayed high and perky on his smiling face. Before the blushing boy could respond, Rhett continued, “We don’t have to actually do anything with them. Remember, we’re switching back at the intro, so we shouldn’t have to do anything as far as the content goes.”

“But... what if we don’t switch?” Link strained to ask.

“We will, Link! Don’t worry about it.”

“But what. If we don’t,” Link repeated, glaring intensely.

Rhett sighed. “Okay. If we don’t... we’ll stop shooting and send the crew home. That sound good?”

“That’s fine,” Link replied, visibly more relaxed now.

Rhett smiled and picked up the boxes. “You wanna get ready to start? It’s five of.”

Link stood still, breathing deeply and thinking to himself.

“I’ll race you there!” Rhett sang, repeatedly squeezing Link’s shoulder. “Winner buys ice cream!”

Link smiled defeatedly before bouncing to the door and sprinting down the hall, sneaking a head start for himself. Rhett shook his head with a chuckle, and then followed after him. With the help of his long legs, he caught up in no time.

The two scrambled into their seats on the set at almost the exact same time. Link playfully shoved Rhett out of his chair, and Rhett shoved back. They then somehow ended up in a poke war with each other. The crew just stared in confusion. The sight of them being so openly friendly with each other threw them off from what they were supposed to be doing. Eventually, the silliness stopped, leaving Rhett and Link feeling warm and giddy. They couldn’t be more ready. Soon enough, Tonya counted down until the clock struck nine.

“We got custom-made toys!” Rhett chirped. Link snorted at the enthusiasm in Rhett’s voice.

“Let’s talk about that!” they both shouted in excitement. The crew again stared questioningly. Rhett and Link stayed perfectly motionless, still anticipating the switch to happen.

Their eyes moved around the room. They saw the same strange people in the same strange set.

The cameras were still rolling.

All eyes were glued to the two men on set.

Everyone was dead silent.

“Let’s talk about that!” Link repeated. Still seeing no changes, he kept going, eyes tearing up as his anger increased. “Let’s talk about that! Let’s talk about that! Let’s... talk ab...” He slammed his fists onto the desk before hiding his face in his arms. He whimpered between sobs, “Let’s talk about that...”

Rhett met eyes with every single person in the set. It didn’t make sense. He didn’t understand what was wrong with his logic.

“Turn off the cameras,” he said calmly. “You’re all dismissed.”

Tonya raised her eyebrows at him from across the room. After a brief moment, she nodded and pointed at the door. One by one, the crew members grabbed their belongings and filed out. A few stayed for a bit to remove some of the equipment before leaving. Tonya followed after they had all left. She kept her worried eyes on Link as she slowly walked out, shutting the door tight behind her.

~*~

“Why didn’t it work?” whispered Rhett as his eyes darted around the room. His hand was still holding Link’s hand and the coin under the desk.

Link couldn’t speak, let alone answer. All eyes were on them, and time seemed to stand still with all those confused and concerned glances. Stevie and Eddie were the only others in the room who knew what was going on. It didn’t take long before Stevie shooed the crew out of the room for a quick break. She quickly rushed over to check on the two of them.

“Okay, what’s going on?” she demanded. Her bright eyes showed only deep concern for them.

“We... were supposed to switch when we said the intro,” Rhett explained, keeping his eyes on Link, who was still frozen in place aside from the obvious strain in his eyes. “We were so sure that the other Rhett and Link would say it out of habit... but I guess not.”

“What made you think that would’ve worked?” Stevie asked. “I thought we established that the coin you guys found the other day had a big part in switching you guys in the first place!”

“We do have it,” Link finally spoke, lifting their clasped hands and releasing the coin onto the GMM desk.

“What?!” Stevie gasped. “Where on earth did you find it?!”

“It appeared last night after a wave of flip flops between this timeline and ours,” Rhett replied, picking the coin back up and putting it in his pocket for safe-keeping.

“Well, you remember why the change happened in the first place, right?” Stevie asked. “You gotta prove to it that its purpose was fulfilled! Saying a phrase you guys say every day for work isn’t gonna do that!” She paused with a heavy sigh. “I’ll give you a moment. We’ll be just down the hall.”

“Wait,” Link called, stopping Stevie in her path. She stopped and turned to face them again. “I just... Thank you... for being so... helpful... and... understanding through all this. You and Eddie.”

“Yeah, we really appreciate it,” Rhett added with a slow grin.

“You’re welcome,” Stevie replied. “We’re here for you. All of us.” With that, she left the set to meet with the rest of the crew.

Rhett removed the coin from his pocket once more and took another look at it. “Gee,” he sighed, “it’s hard to believe this little thing caused this huge mess we’ve been in.”

“Yeah...” Link muttered. Tears were now falling freely down his face. Upon seeing his distress, Rhett sprang over to help him as he always would when his dear, beloved friend was upset. He scooted his chair closer and took Link’s glasses off, holding them gently in one hand while the other wiped a tear away from Link’s face.

“It’s okay, Link... It’s okay.” He brushed some stray hairs back into place with the back of his hand. Once Link’s forehead was clear, Rhett leaned his own against it, nuzzling softly with a deep breath. With the coin still lying in his palm, he took Link’s hand. The coin was now sandwiches between the two of them as Rhett continued to comfort Link. He caressed the back of Link’s hand with his thumb ever so gently. “We’ll be okay,” Rhett reassured.

“Rhett...” Link squeaked as he wiggled closer, basking in the heat of his friend beside him. His presence was all he needed to feel safe and sound. It was always like that. He cherished moments like these, even more so than when they slept together. There was just something special during these moments of pure comfort and intimacy that neither Link or Rhett could live without.

“Whatever happens,” Rhett whispered, with his hot breath tickling Link’s skin, “we’re in this together... and we always will be.” He planted the tiniest kiss on the very tip of Link’s nose.


	21. Chapter 21

Rhett turned to his bawling friend. The very sight of him anything less than happy was enough to upset himself as well, but he hadn’t seen Link this distraught in years. Since that day when he regretfully left Link behind to cope by himself. That dang day. He was certain it was then that led to this whole timeline ever existing. If he was never upset in the first place, or even if Rhett was able to make him feel better at the start, this timeline may had not ever existed. He wasn’t about to ruin his chance again. He was more determined than ever to help Link through this.

He walked to the back of the set and gently pulled the blanket off the back couch. It was funny to Rhett that even in this universe, they liked having a blanket draped over a loveseat in the back of their set. This blanket, however, was much different than their multicolored, striped blanket. The texture was a lot softer, and it was all a solid black with the other Rhett and Link’s show’s logo in the center of it, folded to display it straight to the camera. He unfolded it and draped it over Link’s shoulders. Link clutched it tight as he sat up.

“Thank you,” he whispered, looking up at Rhett with irritated eyes. The redness around his irises made them look even bluer than usual, and it made Rhett’s heart sore at the sight of them.

“It’s okay,” Rhett soothed. “I’m here.”

“It... didn’t work,” Link whimpered before wiping his nose with his sleeve. “You said it was gonna work.” The sudden hint of anger in his tone threw Rhett off for a moment, but he kept his eyes focused on him as best as he could.

“I know,” he replied. “We can still keep trying. We can still go home.”

“No. We won’t!” More anger rang in Link’s rising voice. “It’s my fault we switched over here, and now we’re doomed to stay here! No matter what we do, we’ll never switch back over permanently! Ever!”

“Come on, don’t say that.” Rhett scrounged his pocket for the coin. He pulled it out and held it firmly in front of Link. “Remember when we got this?”

“Yes, Rhett! I do!” Link scoffed.

“I don’t know how, but I’m certain it was our alts we heard last night. They were telling us that this, yes,  _this_  coin was important.It’s possible that we just didn’t do something right. We’ll figure it out, Link! I just know it!”

“Just stop it, Rhett!” Link shouted. “It’s no use! It’s not gonna work! We’re just gonna be stuck here for the rest of our lives!”

“And what’s so wrong about that?!” Rhett boomed, quieting Link down. “We already talked about how as long as we were together, we can get through any situation! I made the mistake once of leaving you to go through it alone, but the me that made that stupid mistake is gone! I’m not letting anything like that happen anymore! You’re my best friend... always have been... and always will.” He paused, wiping the wetness from his eyes.

Link looked up at him and gestured for him to come closer. Rhett did so without hesitation. He needed comfort as much as he expected Link did, and gladly accepted his dear friend’s embrace. They both nuzzled each other, giving an equal share of mutual comfort. Still holding the coin, Rhett took Link’s hand in his. As he reached for the other hand, he pressed his forehead to Link’s and took a deep breath, warming and tickling Link’s skin.

“Whatever happens, we’re in this together,” Rhett whispered. Link nodded in agreement as he let Rhett continue. “And we always will be.” He softly touched his lips to the tip of Link’s nose.

They felt what could only be described as a spark igniting inside the two of them, and an overwhelming warmth captivated them with an unexpected intensity. Streams of blinding light bled through the open spaces between their hands. They opened their hands, freeing the coin from their grasp. It burst like a miniature star in their very hands, blinding them into passing out off their chairs and onto the studio floor.

A knock was all it took to rouse them. Rhett was the first to rise, head throbbing and seeing the room spinning before him.

The knock was heard again. Rhett turned his attention to the studio door.

“C...Come on in!” Rhett called, waking Link while doing so. Immediately, the door was opened, and Stevie and Eddie came running in.

“Are you guys okay?!” Stevie cried.

“There was this freaky light shining under the door, and then it sounded like something fell over!” Eddie squealed. “It was like something you’d see in a horror movie or something!”

Wide grins spread across Rhett and Link’s faces. Without warning, they sprang up and wrapped their friends into a big group hug.

“We missed you guys so much!!” Link screeched as he hugged them tighter. As soon as the realization hit them, Stevie and Eddie squealed in delight and hugged their boys back. Curious about the commotion, the other crew members crowded inside. Most of them ran over and joined in with the group hug, but were confused as to why it was happening. They all quickly dispersed, as those in the middle of the hug were starting to get too squished.

“You gotta do an episode on your experience in that other timeline!” Eddie enthused, shouting over the voices of the others.

Rhett chuckled. “I don’t think anyone would ever believe us.”

“Well can you at least tell us?! We don’t know what’s going on!” Lizzie chimed, earning nods of agreement across the room. Without even an answer, they all either grabbed a chair or sat on the floor, all huddled close to their bosses. Rhett and Link giggled before they began their story.

One crew member had not yet joined them, as he was distracted by a small shiny object on the studio floor.

~*~

“Rhett! Ugh... You’re squishing me!” Link cried, wriggling under Rhett’s huge, heavy body. “And I know you’re not dead, so don’t even start!”

Rhett snickered before rolling sleepily off Link. “Your head hurt? Mine does,” he announced. He looked around the set. Everything he remembered about his and Link’s own set was in its place... but no one was around.

“We’re back...?” Link gasped. “We’re - We’re back!!” He hugged Rhett with all his might, and Rhett kissed him in return.

“I thought we’d never see this set again!” Rhett squeaked. “We gotta find our crew!”

“Oh, man. I bet Tonya was at her wits end with our alts around these past few days,” Link chuckled.

“Yeah, she’d be happy to get this show back on schedule.”

Link looked up at him with big doe eyes. “You think we can still change things up a bit? On the show? We’ll probably need some help... Maybe we should talk to her about hiring a new content manager.”

A knock on the studio door startled them. Before they could react, the door slowly opened.

“Hello?” called a familiar voice. The boys furrowed their brows as a head of fluffy, brown hair peeked into the room. His big brown eyes spotted them, and he sighed in relief. “Oh, thank goodness. I thought no one was here!”

“Chase?” Link asked, suddenly second-guessing the reality of the situation. He looked to Rhett, who seemed just as confused as he was. “Is this a dream? What’s going on?” he whispered.

“A collective dream? Seriously?” Rhett scoffed. “I think he might be our key to changing the content on the show.”

“I... Sorry,” Chase squeaked, stepping further into the room. “I was just... I applied for a job last week and was asked to come in for an interview? I’m good at -“

“You’re hired!” yelled Rhett with a smile. He stole Chase’s hand and gave it a firm shake. “Welcome to the team.”

“Well, gee, that was quick!” Chase laughed. “I didn’t even get to show you my reel!”

“Oh, we’ve seen plenty,” Link chimed, now taking his turn to shake Chase’s hand. “We’re big fans of your work.”

“Really? Wow! Thanks!”

“We’ll get you settled into orientation,” Rhett exclaimed. “We’ll start with a tour, and then we can talk shop.”

“Oh, it’s okay,” Chase said. “I already know my way around this place.”

“Uh, what?” Link asked. His heart seemed to stop beating for a second.

“Um... because I’ve been wandering the studio for a while? You know... looking for you - or anybody, really.”

“Ohh,” Rhett and Link both sighed. “Okay.”

“You know where the prop closet is?” Rhett asked.

“I think I could find it.”

“Go get a head start then. We’ll meet you down there in a minute.” Chase nodded and trotted out of the set room, eager to get started. Once he was down the hall and out of sight, Rhett turned and kissed Link with a deep inhale, letting him go with a heavy sigh.

“Only a few minutes back and we’re already starting on the right foot towards a new and better show,” he rasped as he took Link’s hand once more.

“Which should make our private lives a lot better too,” Link added with a blushy smile. “Say goodbye to stress, and hello to more fun time at home.” He pulled Rhett down by the ear and whispered, “It’ll be so nice to actually make love with you for once.”

Rhett giggled. Link hadn’t heard him laugh in such a high pitch since they were children. He couldn’t wait to hear it more often.

“Save it for when we get home,” Rhett said with a wink as he led the two of them down the hall.

“Yours or mine?”

“Hmm...” Rhett wondered. “Maybe one of us should move in.”

“I like the sound of that.”

 

END


End file.
